This weekend sees the start of the Liverpool Biennial’s 12 Edition, and you’re invited to take part in the celebrations.
On from 10 June – 17 September, the Liverpool Biennial is the UK’s largest free festival of contemporary visual art. This year’s festival is entitled ‘uMoya: The Sacred Return of Lost Things’, and the University’s Victoria Gallery & Museum (VGM) plays a key role in the programme.
To launch this year’s festival, the Liverpool Biennial is hosting a free opening party from 7.30pm on Friday 9 June, at Invisible Wind Factory with music programmed by Africa Oyé. You can book your free tickets here.
Liverpool Biennial and VGM
This year, the spectacular 1890s gothic building will host new works by Charmaine Watkiss, and Gala Porras-Kim. These new commissions will be displayed alongside the large-scale interactive installation ‘Jardίm’ by Antonio Obá. ‘Jardim’ (2022), meaning Garden in Portuguese, consists of hundreds of brass bells, which invite visitors to follow a path through the work, encouraging active participation through the ringing of the bells.
‘uMoya: The Sacred Return of Lost Things’ addresses the history and temperament of the city of Liverpool and is a call for ancestral and indigenous forms of knowledge, wisdom and healing. In the isiZulu language (one of the official languages of South Africa), ‘uMoya’ means spirit, breath, air, climate and wind.
Dr Amanda Draper, Curator of Art & Exhibitions, University of Liverpool said: “Liverpool Biennial is a key moment in the city’s cultural diary and we’re proud of the relationship we have with the festival. This year, we’re honoured to be presenting the work of Charmaine Watkiss, Gala Porras-Kim, and Antonio Obá and give our visitors the chance to explore the themes of this year’s festival.”
Victoria Gallery and Museum is open Tuesday – Saturday 10am – 5pm. The venue will also be open on Sunday 11 June, 11am – 4pm during the Liverpool Biennial’s opening weekend.
To find out more about this year’s festival visit https://www.biennial.com/