IBA Stage: Dr. Samantha Lackey

Dr Samantha Lackey, Director of Liverpool Biennial. Courtesy of Liverpool Biennial. Photography: Mark McNulty

With only 6 days to go before the start of IBA Stage (taking place on November 4th at 3pm UK time) we want to take some time to introduce to you Dr. Samantha Lackey, director of Liverpool Biennial. Formerly head of Collection and Exhibitions at the Whitworth Gallery in Manchester she took the helm of Liverpool Biennial in the midst of the pandemic and half way through the preparations of The Stomach and the Port , 11th edition of Liverpool Biennial.

In her statement published on https://liverpoolbiennial2021.com/ where you can also find more information on the 11th Liverpool Biennial she mentions that

“…this has been a year when particular kinds of certainty about our bodies – and about whose bodies matter most – have been at the forefront of our everyday experience. We have reflected on the effects of our behavior on the animal and natural world. We have witnessed renewed forms of solidarity as people across the world protested systemic racism, as multimillionaire footballers spoke up for, and with, hungry families. We have sought solace in nature, in our animal companions. The stories that shape our lives have changed.”

We look forward to hearing from her what this double challenge meant for her and how she navigated the new environment in Liverpool. Liverpool Biennial being since its inception very much the result of a city wide collaboration between Tate, Bluecoat, FACT, OpenEye Gallery and other local cultural institutions, poses both advantages for someone new joining as well as complexities which are beyond that of a unitary institutions, we look forward to understanding more what this has meant for her and what approach she has chosen.

Dr Samantha Lackey was Head of Collection and Exhibitions at the Whitworth (University of Manchester), where she was senior lead on the Leadership Team. Previously, she was curator at The Hepworth Wakefield (2010-16) where she delivered 40 exhibitions over 4 years as part of the team that opened the gallery in 2011 to critical acclaim. She received a PhD on the subject of surrealism in 2005, which was the context for her work as a lecturer, research fellow and her first exhibition at the Whitworth, Subversive Spaces: Surrealism and Contemporary Art.

If you have not registered for the event yet you can do so through the link below. We hope to have many of you present!

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZckcO6gpzwrHdz625PfhzxbfHysKlPLpYlK