The Liverpool Biennial, UK’s largest contemporary visual arts festival, transforms the city into a vibrant hub of artistic exploration. 

Spanning public spaces, galleries, and museums, visitors are treated to a dynamic programme of free exhibitions, performances, screenings, community activities, and fringe events over a 14-week period.

The 12th edition of the Biennial, titled “uMoya: The Sacred Return of Lost Things”, delves into the history and character of Liverpool, embracing ancestral and indigenous forms of knowledge, wisdom, and healing. Drawing from the isiZulu language, uMoya encapsulates the spirit, breath, air, climate, and wind.

At Tate Liverpool, the featured artists explore the liminal space between life and death, guiding us on a journey of ancestral pain and transformative healing. 

Highlights include Isabel do Rosário’s monumental textile pieces, exhibited for the first time outside of Brazil, Edgar Calel’s thought-provoking work Ru k’ ox k’ob’el jun ojer etemab’el (The Echo of an Ancient Form of Knowledge) 2021, and Torkwase Dyson’s monumental installation Liquid A Place 2021, engaging with the histories of water and docks that envelop the gallery.

The exhibition also showcases the compelling works of Fátima Rodrigo Gonzales, Francis Offman, Gala Porras-Kim, Guadalupe Maravilla, Lubaina Himid, Nolan Oswald Dennis, Pamela Phatsimo Sunstrum, and Shannon Alonzo.

Curation

Khanyisile Mbongwa

Image

Installation view, Torkwase Dyson: Liquid A Place, Pace Gallery, London, photography by Damian Griffiths © Torkwase Dyson