Liverpool Biennial announces title and artist list for its 2025 edition!

Liverpool Biennial has unveiled the title of its 13th edition “BEDROCK” , which will be curated by Marie-Anne McQuay, and running from 7 June to 14 September 2025. Inspired by the unique sandstone that defines Liverpool’s architectural landscape, BEDROCK serves as both a literal and metaphorical foundation, reflecting the city’s geological roots and its deep-seated social values. This theme seeks to explore Liverpool’s enduring cultural heritage and the people, places, and histories that form its core.

Participating Artists

The Biennial will present work from a diverse selection of international artists: Alice Rekab (Ireland/Sierra Leone); Amber Akaunu (UK/Nigeria); Amy Claire Mills (Australia); Ana Navas (Venezuela/Ecuador/Netherlands); Anna Gonzalez Noguchi (Spain/Japan/UK); Antonio Jose Guzman & Iva Jankovic (Netherlands/Panama/Serbia); Cevdet Erek (Turkey); ChihChung Chang 張致中 (Taiwan/Netherlands); Christine Sun Kim (USA); DARCH (India/Somaliland/Wales); Dawit L. Petros (Eritrea/Canada/USA); Elizabeth Price (UK); Fred Wilson (USA); Hadassa Ngamba (Democratic Republic of the Congo/Belgium); Imayna Caceres (Peru/Austria); Isabel Nolan (Ireland); Jennifer Tee (Netherlands); Kara Chin (UK/Singapore); Katarzyna Perlak (Poland/UK); Karen Tam 譚嘉文 (Canada); Leasho Johnson (USA/Jamaica); Linda Lamignan (Nigeria/Norway);  Maria Loizidou (Cyprus); Mounira Al Solh (Lebanon); Nandan Ghiya (India); Nour Bishouty (Lebanon/Jordan/Palestine/Canada); Odur Ronald (Uganda); Petros Moris (Greece); Sheila Hicks (France/USA); Widline Cadet (Haiti/USA). Each artist brings a unique perspective to BEDROCK, interpreting foundational themes through lenses of family, cultural legacy, and community, while addressing the ongoing impacts of colonialism and empire on Liverpool’s identity.

Curatorial Vision

Marie-Anne McQuay, Curator, shared her insights on BEDROCK, stating:

“The city’s geological foundations and its psyche have provided the starting point for the conversations of Liverpool Biennial 2025, with the invited artists bringing us their own definition of ‘BEDROCK’. Definitions which include family and chosen family, cultural heritage carried across the generations, and the environments that nurture and restore them. Central to this understanding of BEDROCK is the sense of loss that comes from the ongoing legacies of colonialism and empire so formative to Liverpool’s foundations. 

Dr Samantha Lackey, Director, Liverpool Biennial, added:  

“This festival deliberately explores and visibly exposes the foundations of Liverpool, connecting international artists with our histories, people and the very ground we walk on. Working with Marie-Anne McQuay, with her long-standing knowledge of the city and its communities has allowed us to dig deeper into the things that make us a Biennial that could only be created in Liverpool.  

We’re excited to have forged new relationships with local organisations including First Take and At the Library, alongside our work with longstanding partners at Tate Liverpool, National Museums Liverpool, FACT, Bluecoat and Open Eye Gallery, consolidating the city’s cultural connections between the local and the global and looking to its foundations to support growth and possibility for the future.  

We look forward to sharing BEDROCK with visitors from our city and wider region, as well as those visiting from across the UK and internationally” 

In responding to the city, artists have taken inspiration from Liverpool’s archives and histories, from its communities and civic spirit, and from taking time to dwell in its green spaces which support plant, insect, and bird life in unexpected ways through planned and unplanned urban developments.” 

Expanding the Biennial Landscape

Liverpool Biennial 2025 will unfold across an array of historic sites, unexpected public spaces, and premier art venues. Partner institutions include Tate Liverpool, National Museums Liverpool, FACT, Bluecoat, and Open Eye Gallery. New additions for 2025 include Liverpool Cathedral, Walker Art Gallery, and Liverpool Central Library, among others to be announced.

As the UK’s largest free contemporary art festival, Liverpool Biennial offers visitors 14 weeks of free exhibitions, performances, screenings, and community events, immersing audiences in the vibrant cultural scene that defines Liverpool.

For further details and programme updates, visit Liverpool Biennial’s website. Join us as we delve into BEDROCK—a journey through the layers of Liverpool’s history, culture, and future potential.