Loved: I recently visited the Open Eye Gallery and saw Widline Cadet’s exhibition about her family’s journey from Haiti to the USA (Gallery 2). The juxtaposition between the large format photographs and collages of textures made for a thought-provoking exhibition. As a very amateur photographer, I always appreciate Open Eye’s exhibitions and how they make me see the world slightly differently each time!
Looking forward to: I’m really looking forward to this year’s Liverpool Arab Arts Festival (July). Last year’s events were incredible – moving, thought provoking, and funny, bringing together people from across the city, region and far beyond in celebration and dialogue. This year’s festival programme is so rich, with different artists, performers, and creatives, showcasing both traditional and contemporary artforms. I’m going to go to as much as possible!
Trivia: We’ve recently been on a digital journey within Libraries, Museums and Galleries at the University of Liverpool and have begun digitising parts of our heritage and cultural collections to make them available online. The University’s digital heritage lab provides access to a growing portion of the collections we hold, allowing you to explore them online. These are open to everyone, and we hope this resource will raise the visibility of our collections, and encourage more people to see them in person!
Arts organisation RAWD launch their biggest show to date during Disability Pride Month. Artistic Director Steffi Sweeney talks about how their members are continuing a tradition of pride and protest.
A New Chapter For RAWD
The RAWD Protest began long ago. Almost ten years on, the drum is still banging, the flag is still flying and now… the phone is ringing.
This July marks a major milestone for RAWD. We officially launch as a charity – and we’re doing it the only way we know how: with bold creativity, fierce pride, and stages full of disabled artists. Across the month our artists are premiering directorial film debuts at FACT, performing live music gigs at the Valley Theatre in Belle Vale and, as is RAWD tradition, there will be disabled artists packing out stages across the North West.
But to understand where we’re going, it helps to look at where we’ve been. RAWD began over a decade ago as a disability drama group meeting weekly in a church hall. Since then, we’ve grown into an arts organisation with a mission to tackle inequality and celebrate disabled creativity. Our projects include ‘Boards Are Boring’, which challenged governance structures; ‘Creative Wellness’ exploring inclusive wellbeing; and our ongoing Facilitator Training Programme, which empowers the next generation of inclusive practitioners.
RAWD supported Dora Colquon produce the nationwide tour of her show The Lodger. Credit: Jack Ehlen
Pride, Protest, and Performance
To mark our new chapter as a charity, we’re presenting our biggest-ever month of activity for Disability Pride Month. This year is a key juncture for our organisation as we transition to a registered charity. It is also an important moment for our community as rights are rolled back and vital support is under threat. With our programme of activity in Disability Pride Month we want to make a statement.
Leading our programme is a show with a driving purpose. Partnering with Liverpool’s award-winning clown company Ugly Bucket, Don’t Call Us We’ll Call You has a cast of 35. The show continues another proud tradition of RAWD’s: amplifying the lived experiences of our community. However this time, it hits different.
“The show is blunt, important and completely stupid.” Tom Daly, RAWD Member.
The questions our members are asking while developing Don’t Call Us, We’ll Call You are: what is protest and where do we fit in this fight? We knew this topic would be difficult to approach so partnering with Ugly Bucket felt like a perfect match to bring levity and power to the project. A company well versed in tackling difficult subjects and presenting important narratives, their techno clown style always delivers their objective: “Taking silliness serious.”
RAWD is adamant that we cannot shy away from the big difficult questions and ultimately our members don’t want to. No-one should be overlooked. It is our strong belief that we have agency to become the changemakers in our own lives, and we need to be part of bigger conversations about the world. In order to equip our members with the tools and skills to do this we “RAWD-ify” the subject matter and broaden our knowledge of what’s come before.
RAWD presented co-devised show It’s My Party at Unity Theatre in 2024. Credit: Jack Ehlen
Learning from the Past, Demanding a New Future
In developing Don’t Call Us…, we have looked back at a century of disabled activism, the history of our rights, and asked what ought to be done now? One member was shocked that the first Disability Pride date was as recent as 1990. RAWD member Mike said: “There may not have been an event, but we’ve always been proud.”
Our research led us to ‘Telethon’ and more specifically the block telethon protests of 1992. Disabled activists gathered outside the LWT Studios on the South Bank to challenge negative stereotypes and patronizing tone being fostered by Telethon. After this protest Telethon was never broadcast again. Johnny Crescendo, a key figure in the protests can be seen wearing a shirt that reads “Piss on Pity”. Regarding the disabled people being exploited by the TV Show the activist said: “‘Please and thank you’ were the best lines in their script. Passiveness and helplessness was not attractive to me”.
At RAWD we prioritise the value and necessity of the voices of our community. Our work is centered around the perspectives and opinions our members want to uncover. There is a failure within the system that neglects the view of learning disabled people. An assumption that societal barriers limit not only ability but the desire to be an active citizen.
Don’t Call Us We’ll Call You is a direct protest against these assumptions. A ticket to our show is also an invitation to join the movement, stand beside us and a call to action.
We ask every artist in the city:
What are you doing for disability awareness month?
Do you support disability theatre?
Can you join us in the RAWD MOVEMENT?
Don’t Call Us We’ll Call You is part of RAWD’s charity launch programme.
RAWD 2023 production Super. Credit: Jack Ehlen
RAWD’s July 2025 Programme
RAWD Charity Launch Thursday 3rd July 5-8pm at Unity Theatre Join RAWD for an evening showcasing whats to come this July 2025. FREE Tickets
Don’t Call Us, We’ll Call You Saturday 5th July 4pm – Unity Theatre Tickets Monday 7th July 7.30pm – Unity Theatre Tickets Wednesday 9th July 7.30pm – Theatre Porto Tickets Saturday 12th July 2pm – Theatre Porto Tickets
35 Disabled performers. One stage. Inescapable truths and a call for change. Rooted in the spirit of the Block Telethon protests but reimagined through abstract form and modern perspectives, this show moves between two surreal worlds: The glittering illusion of telethon and the unruly power of protest. Expect a dynamic spectacle of clowning, sharp satire, music and physical storytelling.
Tune In: RAWD Music at PSS Monday 7th July 1pm – Valley Theatre Over 12 weeks, PSS have been exploring inclusive avenues of songwriting. Join us for an exclusive live session…
My Way High Way Friday 11th July 1.30pm – Valley Theatre PSS’s in-house RAWD group perform their co-devised show.
Directing Difference: Film Double Bill Tuesday 22nd July – FACT
RAWD proudly presents two powerful directorial debuts by artists breaking boundaries in film. A rare chance to experience bold new perspectives from creatives breaking through major industry barriers. Sam Hooper, a theatre-maker with Down Syndrome presents I Move We Move, a vibrant celebration of unity, teamwork, and shared energy, through spoken word, movement, and music. Alana Wadkin, a creative artist with Athetoid Cerebral Palsy, debuts Everyone’s Bitchin’ About Al. The culmination of her work developing a Directing Communication Board with RAWD for artists who are non-verbal. This innovative tool redefines how direction can be communicated – and this film proves its creative power. Tickets on sale soon!
Threads of Protest Tuesday 29th July 7.30pm – Storyhouse, Chester
RAWD Fundraiser Thursday 31st July 7pm – Future Yard, Birkenhead Tickets A line-up of special musical guests celebrate the end of our month-long programme and help raise money for RAWD. Guests to be announced soon.
Liverpool’s Royal Court Theatre is one of most iconic and welcoming theatres in the city. Housed in a beautifully restored Art Deco building, it’s a venue where modern productions meet historic charm. Known for its laugh-out-loud comedies and musicals, the Royal Court is deeply rooted in the city’s culture — from the stories it tells to the people who bring them to life.
The Royal Court Theatre produces eight long running plays every year, mostly comedies and musicals. The shows have a Liverpool theme with largely Liverpool cast and crew. Sets are built in the city, rehearsals take place in Liverpool and 95% of all money spent by the theatre goes back into the local economy.
If you’re after a scouse night out, The Court is the place to be.
History and Art Deco Grandeur
The Royal Court stands on a site that has entertained the city since 1826, when it opened as Cooke’s New Circus and rebranded in 1831 as Cooke’s Amphitheatre of Arts, presenting opera, music, theatre and ballet. It became the Royal Court Theatre in 1881 and quickly gained a reputation as Liverpool’s leading venue for touring music, theatre, and ballet.
Its Art Deco redesign in 1938 gave it the stylish silhouette seen today — now Grade II listed and lovingly restored by architects Allford Hall Monaghan Morris. Over the years, legends like Judi Dench, Laurence Olivier, Fred Astaire, and Ken Dodd have graced its stage. In fact, Dame Judi Dench made her acting debut here in 1957 and is now Patron of the Royal Court Trust.
Theatre Shows
The Scousetrap. Credit: Jason Roberts Photography
The venue regularly hosted gigs in the 80s, including legendary shows by Kraftwerk, Echo and the Bunnymen and The Specials, amongst many others, before emerging with their own Liverpool-based original theatre productions.
A cast of mainly Merseyside regulars, including former Brookside stars Michael Starke and Suzanne Collins, star in an ongoing season of irreverent comedy with excellent production values. Pre-show dining, cabaret-style stalls seating and a range of drinks are served before and after the show, a feature of a night out at the Court.
The Royal Court also stages Shakespearean productions from the local Lodestar Theatre Company and occasional musical events. In addition, they run a fascinating Heritage Tour, covering the theatre’s history via a backstage tour through set storage, dressing rooms and loft space.
In recent years, the theatre staged their comedy A Thong For Europe and hosted a Eurovision screening, as part of the city-wide Eurovision celebration, and their Boys From The Blackstuff production has played at the National Theatre. Currently, they’re staging the musical Speedo Mick – The Scouse Stomper, an inspiring show about a die-hard Everton fan raising more than a million pounds for disadvantaged young people and the homeless.
Youth Theatre
The Royal Court isn’t just about what happens on stage — it’s also nurturing the next generation of creatives. Their Youth Theatre is open to 11–17 year olds from across the city, this free programme helps young people gain hands-on experience in acting, writing, fundraising, and stage management.
New Writing
One of the region’s largest producers of theatre, Liverpool’s Royal Court has a focus on new writing, with their Stage Write playwright development programme.
The theatre began producing shows in 2006, and quickly developed its own house style. In the early years the programming was a mix of established and commissioned plays but since 2017 all of their work has been written for the Royal Court. As well as their main house works, the 150 seat Studio space is a great place to develop new plays and they commission three new pieces each year.
They are committed to supporting the development of new works and new writers whether for the Royal Court audience or not. As access is an important part of the way they work, all of these initiatives are free to access.
Community Choir
Want to get involved but not quite ready for the spotlight? The Royal Court’s free Community Choir welcomes all abilities. It’s about fun, friendship, and finding your voice — with past performances at events like Liverpool ONE’s Christmas switch-on and Pride in Liverpool. Sessions take place every Monday (except Bank Holidays), 5–7pm in the Studio. Open to anyone aged 16+.
From heritage tours to hilarious comedies, community programmes to inspiring musicals, find out what’s on at Liverpool’s Royal Court via their events listings.
Loved: As an event manager, I love a spectacle and I try to get to as many events (for R&D purposes!) as I can. A highlight in May was Bring the Fire Project’sFire Gala at the Bombed Out Church, which was utterly mesmerising.
Looking forward to: I’m gutted that one of my favourite festivals in Liverpool’s events calendar Africa Oyé, is not taking place in 2025. For consolation, my friends and I have got tickets to see Black Uhuru at Future Yard later this month.
Trivia: I’m born and bred Swiss and have been living up my continental roots since January, working with the European diaspora communities at Liverpool European Festival. You can dip into European culture and heritage all through June, please visit liverpooleuropeanfestival.co.uk for the festival events.
Future Yard is more than just a venue — it’s a movement. Based in the heart of Birkenhead, this trailblazing space combines live music, artist development, and environmental action to reshape what a grassroots venue can be.
Open seven days a week, it’s home to a bar, coffee shop, and a vibrant outdoor space. At its core is a 280-capacity live room that plays host to an exciting mix of local talent and acclaimed national and international acts.
Future Yard is also a creative hub — supporting emerging artists through development programmes and offering young people from the local area free access to training in the live music industry. Their long-term goal? To help shape the future of music in Birkenhead while becoming the UK’s first operational carbon net-zero grassroots venue.
Opening their doors fully to the music-loving public in the spring of 2021, Future Yard is a community venue bringing some of today’s most exciting artists to the Wirral, with a full programme of events throughout the year.
Past performers include legendary names like Kraftwerk’s Wolfgang Flür, The Coral, Doves, Gruff Rhys, and Beans on Toast.
Each year the venue also hosts Future Now — a genre-spanning festival dedicated to musical discovery. The fifth instalment of Future Now returns for the August Bank Holiday. The 2025 edition will feature trailblazers like Los Bitchos and Pussy Riot: Riot Days, cementing the festival’s reputation as a must-attend event.
Beyond gigs, Future Yard also offers vinyl markets, regular club nights, and the newly launched Birkenhead Craft Beer Festival, debuting July 2025.
Supporting the Next Generation
PROPELLER sits at the heart of Future Yard’s artist empowerment revolution. Every PROPELLER artist is partnered with an experienced professional mentor to provide support and a dedicated development plan. They also gain access to a rolling programme of workshops and masterclasses from leading music minds, building your knowledge. All this is based within a vibrant artist community, housed at Future Yard.
If you want to make music happen, you can also sign up to their mailing list, and you’ll hear the latest about Sound Check, their free-to-access live music industry training programme for young people.
Mosh Tots – Gigs For Kids
Mosh Tots is the hippest, hottest party in town! Sunday mornings at Future Yard are the place to be. Their gigs for kids (and well-behaved grown-ups!) series has been hugely popular since they launched.
Aimed at children aged 1-8, Mosh Tots is there to introduce young people to the rockin’ world of live music in a safe and fun environment. They believe that live music should be for everyone, no matter your age.
Future Yard Kitchen
The venue’s kitchen serves fresh vegan and veggie, Neapolitan-style pizzas made from locally sourced ingredients.Open on all live show days and every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, the kitchen complements the bar and coffee shop, which are open daily from 10 am.
Space To Relax
Whether you’re dropping by for a show or just fancy a quiet coffee, Future Yard’s garden offers a welcoming place to unwind. The outdoor space is open daily, providing a laid-back spot to enjoy pizza, drinks, or sunshine with friends. And if the weather doesn’t play ball, their bar and café inside offer the same chilled-out atmosphere.
Environmental Pledge
Alongside realising their creative vision, Future Yard have made major steps in Sustainability and reducing their carbon footprint. They are committed to a long-term goal of becoming operational net-zero by 2030 and fully net-zero by 2035. This will make the venue one of the first arts organisations to achieve this in the UK.
Working in partnership with Liverpool John Moores University’s Low Carbon Eco-Innovatory, they have been shaping the long-term design of the building, its energy consumption and developing a range of policies in how the venue operates to achieve this goal.
Discover What’s On At Future Yard
For all the latest events listings and happenings visit the Future Yard website.
Liverpool Biennial returns this summer once again showcasing cutting-edge contemporary visual art across the city region. Running alongside it is the Independents Biennial, with 22 newly commissioned works by 64 artists. Independents Biennial sets out to highlight the incredible work of the city’s grassroots artists, an integral part of the backbone of Liverpool’s creative scene.
Independent galleries and Liverpool’s creative networks are placed into the spotlight, as artists are given a chance to make a name for themselves in the UK’s largest and longest-running free festival of art, as well as celebrating Liverpool’s creativity and cultural significance.
What makes the Independents Biennial truly special is its commitment to non-traditional spaces. Art isn’t just confined to galleries – the festival utilises all spaces to showcase its artists work, including Hilbre Island off the coast of the Wirral, Belle Vale shopping centre and empty units in St Helens town centre. It celebrates the versatility of art, and how artists can use any space and turn anything into phenomenal, thought-provoking pieces of art.
Independents Biennial will span each of Liverpool’s six boroughs, with each location offering something unique and inspirational. Sefton, Knowsley, Wirral, St Helens, Halton and Liverpool city centre will host these 64 independent artists and provide them and their work with a home for the summer.
Independents Biennial: Our Highlights
While the entire programme promises to be unforgettable, we’ve picked out a few exhibitions that are especially worth checking out…
The Right Map by Ghost Art School
You won’t want to miss The Right Map by Ghost Art School, a collective that exists between margins and creates art that challenges the conventions of traditional institutions. The Right Map is described as “a constellation of art exhibitions across Liverpool, unfolding under the banner of the Independents Biennial.” It brings together a series of exhibitions across the city region, including UNSTABLE in Port Sunlight, In Search of Swallows and Amazons in Kensington, Account in Birkenhead, and Slipstream on Blundell Street in the city centre.
Tom Stockley and Ruaíri Valentine
Building on this theme of place and disruption, Tom Stockley and Ruaíri Valentine bring their deep dive into Wirral psychogeography to the festival with Weird Wirral. Inspired by a gothic poem, the duo turns to folklore and legend, guiding us through the shorelines and landscapes of the Wirral to uncover traces of magic and forgotten stories hidden in the land.
Claire Beerjeraz
Meanwhile, at the Victoria Gallery, Claire Beerjeraz offers a powerful reflection on the legacies of colonialism and slavery. Their multidisciplinary exhibition explores how these histories are displayed, contained, and remembered within institutional spaces. With a tapestry of spoken word and clay, Claire weaves together personal and collective memory, urging us to look beneath the surface of memorials and museum walls—and to reimagine how art institutions can hold space for difficult truths.
Amy Flynn Technofossils
Amy Flynn Technofossils
In another standout piece, artist Amy Flynn invites us to consider the legacy of our modern waste through Technofossils—human-made objects and materials that will persist in the geological record for millions of years. Her pewter cast sculptures are deliberately alluring at first glance: sparkling gemstones and shiny metals entice the viewer in. But look closer, and you’ll find the contours of outdated mobile phones and discarded plastic food containers—rubbish masquerading as treasure. This journey through desire and disgust mimics the cycle of consumerism, exploring themes of duality: artificial/organic, worthless/precious, temporary/permanent, growth/decay.
Venus in Transit: A Cosmic Journey Through Liverpool
Explore Liverpool’s history through a cosmic lens in this bold, multi-part project that blends astrology, storytelling, and live art. Back in 1639, Toxteth-born astronomer Jeremiah Horrocks became the first person to observe the transit of Venus across the Sun—a pivotal moment in the history of astronomy. In astrology, Venus is associated with beauty and creativity, and this project asks how these Venusian themes have helped shape Liverpool’s identity across the centuries. This is part one of a collaboration between Independents Biennial and the Museum of Liverpool’s Global City series—and promises to be an unforgettable deep dive into the city’s star-studded past and artistic present.
Discover the full Independents Biennial programme
Independents Biennial will take place across Liverpool from 7 June to 14 September 2025. This year’s festival is already shaping up to be one of the most exciting yet. With so much to explore, experience, and be inspired by, Independents Biennial is a must for anyone looking to make the most of the city’s creative summer—it’s definitely at the top of our plans!
Liverpool Biennial returns this summer, transforming the city with bold and thought-provoking contemporary art across public spaces, galleries, and unexpected venues.
What is Liverpool Biennial?
Founded in 1998, Liverpool Biennial is the UK’s largest free festival of contemporary art. Since then, it’s presented over 560 artists and created nearly 400 artworks — many of which remain permanently in the city, like Liverpool Mountain at the Albert Dock or The Hummingbird Clock in Derby Square and even The Dazzle Ferry that takes visitors too and from the Wirral every day. The Biennial has presented work by over 560 leading artists, delivered 34 collaborative neighbourhood projects, and received over 50 million visits.
2025 Theme: BEDROCK
This year’s theme is BEDROCK, inspired by Liverpool’s sandstone geology and its deeper social foundations — from family and heritage to community and colonial legacies.
Liverpool Biennial curator, Marie-Anne McQuay said: “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’.”
Three Programme Weekends
The festival unfolds across three key weekends, each focusing on a different layer of BEDROCK:
7–8 June: Civic and colonial history
25–27 July: Family and the things that ground us
12–14 September: Geology and the passage of time
Liverpool Biennial 2025 events and exhibitions:
Here is an insight in what kind of artwork and artists to expect at this year’s Liverpool Biennial 2025.
Outdoor Works:
Anna Gonzalez Noguchi, Real Feel 90, 2021. Courtesy of the artist and Canary Wharf, London. Photography by Sean Pollock
Alice Rekab — A multi-city (Liverpool and Edinburgh) billboard project with students, exploring identity and belonging. In partnership with Edinburgh Art Festival. (Liverpool ONE).
Anna Gonzalez-Noguchi — Botanical-themed sculpture inspired by the historical import of ‘foreign’ plants into Liverpool, engraved with records of the city’s botanical collections. (Mann Island).
Petros Moris — Mosaic works inspired by abandoned playgrounds and personal history (The Oratory, Liverpool Cathedral).
Isabel Nolan — A steel and concrete sculpture inspired by a drawing of a stained-glass window held in the St Nicholas Pro-Cathedral archive and the leadwork in the windows of Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral’s Lutyens Crypt. (St Johns Gardens)
Further works will be exhibited in some unexpected places around the streets of Liverpool:
Anna Gonzalez-Noguchi – Eurochemist, Berry Street.
Amber Akaunu – New film Dear Other Mother exploring matriarchal community in Toxteth.
Odur Ronald – Large installation of aluminium passports reflecting African migration.
ChihChung Chang 張致中 – Ship model-based work reflecting family and naval history, also at Pine Court.
FACT
Kara Chin, The Park is Gone, 2022. Image courtesy of the artist.
Kara Chin – Interactive installation combining urban motifs with manga and gaming aesthetics.
DARCH – Sound and ceramic work with Sefton residents about land, roots and belonging.
Linda Lamignan – Film exploring animism, palm oil extraction and Nigeria–Liverpool histories.
Liverpool Cathedral
Maria Loizidou, Moi Balbuzard Migrant, 2023, Musee de la Chasse et de la Nature, Paris 2023-24. Photography by Maria Lund.
Ana Navas – Glass collages inspired by historic female portraiture and local embroidery archives.
Maria Loizidou – Crocheted tapestry of migratory birds highlighting themes of migration and survival
Liverpool Central Library
Dawit L. Petros, The Open Boat, 2024. 3D Print. Courtesy of the Artist and Tiwani Contemporary, London. Photography by Dawit L. Petros
Dawit L. Petros – Dawit presents a research project at Liverpool Central Library that aims to re-read a historic military expedition to the River Nile from 1884-1885 – a British-led expedition which included 379 Voyageurs from across Canada and Quebec including French Canadians, Western Canadians and First Nations. The installation, which has been developed through a residency at Liverpool John Moore’s University, includes sound, video, books and archive material gathered and created in response to Liverpool’s own archives related to shipping and empire.
Open Eye Gallery
Widline Cadet, Santiman fantom (Ghost Feelings), 2023. Courtesy of the artist and Nazarian / Curcio.
Nandan Ghiya – Sculptural photographs inspired by Hindu mythology and colonial resource extraction.
Widline Cadet – Photographic exploration of Haitian-American diasporic memory.
Katarzyna Perlak – Horror-inspired queer film set in Liverpool’s Adelphi Hotel. Co-created with local award-winning filmmaking organisation First Take and participants from their REEL: Queer programme, the film adopts a non-linear, poetic narrative and references the genre of horror to explore longing and Queer identity.
Karen Tam 譚嘉文, Scent of Thunderbolts, 2024. Courtesy of the artist and Toronto Biennial of Art. Photography by Toni Hafkenscheid
Karen Tam 譚嘉文 – Multimedia piece on Cantonese opera and sonic memory in diaspora.
ChihChung Chang 張致中 – Charcoal rubbing artwork depicting Liverpool’s Chinese Arch. The resulting film documenting the process will be exhibited at Pine Court.
Tate Liverpool + RIBA North
Sheila Hicks, Grand Boules, 2009. Courtesy Alison Jacques, London and Sheila Hicks. Photography by Michael Brzezinski.
Hadassa Ngamba – Congo cartography-inspired paintings using colonially extracted materials.
Mounira Al Solh – Drawings based on dialogues with displaced communities.
Fred Wilson – African flag paintings stripped of colour to question identity and representation.
Sheila Hicks – Textile ‘memory balls’ made from garments of friends and family.
Christine Sun Kim – Infographic drawings on sound, communication and Deaf culture.
Where the Work Begins – A display curated by RIBA that explores the connection between art and architecture.
Further highlights include sculptural works by Cevdet Erek which measure the passing of time and relationships, photography and sculpture by Dawit L Petros and a new textile work by Antonio Jose Guzman & Iva Jankovic.
The Black-E
Elizabeth Price, THE WOOLWORTHS CHOIR OF 1979, Installation view. Photography by Michael Pollard
Elizabeth Price – Film on post-war Catholic Modernist churches and architectural trauma.
Walker Art Gallery
Antonio Jose Guzman & Iva Jankovic, Orbital Mechanics, 2024. 60th Venice Biennial. Photography by Giorgio Silvestri
Antonio Jose Guzman & Iva Jankovic – Concrete Roots, textile and dub-based installation on resilience.
Leasho Johnson – Vivid paintings challenging narratives around the Black queer body.
Nour Bishouty – Multimedia work on tourism, memory and fictional landscapes.
Jennifer Tee – Tulip-petal collages inspired by Tampan textile patterns.
Further highlights include cast resin works of Dream Stones by Karen Tam 譚嘉文; a new, large-scale textile and embroidery work by Katarzyna Perlak; wall-based works by Cevdet Erek inspired by football stadia layouts; paintings and tapestries of fictional landscapes by Isabel Nolan; and a mosaic work by Petros Moris presented in the Sculpture Gallery.
20 Jordan Street
Cevdet Erek, Bergama Stereo, 2019. Hambuger Bahnhof Museum fur Gegenwart, Berlin, Germany. Courtesy of the artist. Photography by Matthias Volzke.
Cevdet Erek – Immersive sound installation replicating the energy of a football stadium.
Imayna Caceres – Clay-based installation imagining Liverpool’s lifeforce through mud and nature.
Learning Activities
For families, a storybook designed with input from attendees at Liverpool Biennial’s regular family workshops at Liverpool Central Library, will help children and young people explore ‘BEDROCK’. Elsewhere, artist-led workshops, inspired by Biennial projects will happen throughout the summer holidays.
For schools and the wider community, the Liverpool Biennial Learning Programme also includes a selection of online and physical resources developed with teachers across the city to bring Liverpool Biennial 2025 to life in the classroom.
To find out more about the full Liverpool Biennial programme and plan your visit, head to the Liverpool Biennial website.
To discover more events happening across the Liverpool city region visit our What’s On listings.
Loved: I recently attended the Class Assembly at the Everyman, which was a wonderful experience and an important conversation about working-class representation in the arts. I have generally been out and about, meeting people and getting to know the region; from beautiful parks like Calderstones and Birkenhead to guided tours of venues such as the Tung Auditorium and some fantastic press nights, it’s been a brilliant introduction to LCR’s culture and community.
Looking forward to: As someone who’s still new to the area, I’m just eager to soak it all up! There’s so much happening across the arts and cultural landscape in the Liverpool City Region, and I’m really looking forward to being part of the creative energy that makes it so special.
Trivia: My connection to Liverpool runs deep: my dad worked for many years on the docks in the iconic Liver Building for a shipping firm. That personal connection adds a special meaning to being here and makes this new chapter even more meaningful.
Looking forward to: Aside from Liverpool Biennial (of course!), I’m really looking forward to Independents Biennial which runs concurrently to Liverpool Biennial (7 June -14 September) and will spotlight new work from artists based across Liverpool, Sefton, Knowsley, Wirral and St Helens.
Trivia: With financial support from Paul Hamlyn Foundation and local expertise from DaDa, a Liverpool-based disabled and d/Deaf arts organisation, we have been working to radically expand the accessibility of Liverpool Biennial in recent years, supporting artists, visitors and team members. We continue this work through a Critical Friends group who continue to challenge the Biennial, both through our Festival and interim year programme of commissions, talks and events.
Looking for ways to keep the kids entertained this May half term in Liverpool? Whether you’re staying local or heading into the city for a day out, there’s a packed programme of free and low-cost family events happening across Liverpool and the wider region. From musical mornings and interactive theatre to hands-on science shows and crafty workshops, there’s something to spark every imagination. Here’s our top pick of activities that promise fun, creativity and adventure for children of all ages – without breaking the bank.
1. Mini Maestros, Everyman Theatre Cafe (17 May – 28 June)
Mini Maestros is an excellent music session for 0-5s on Saturday mornings. The session is an interactive, multi-sensory music workshop for children and their grown-ups.
With percussion, signing and dance, the sessions present an engaging platform for children to explore sound and song whilst learning and having fun! Head along on Saturday mornings and join them making music at the Everyman Theatre Cafe.
Mini Maestros is run by RISE Music Education CIC, a local collective of professional musicians working to deliver engaging creative arts projects in the community.
2. Fowl Play – May Half Term Workshops, Tate Liverpool + RIBA North (24 May – 4 June)
Swoop into Tate Liverpool’s Learning Space this half term holiday for free Fowl Play avian art activities!
Flock together for crafty family fun, constructing multi-coloured replicas of your favourite birds. Play with print stamping blocks and collage to recreate intricate feathered patterns and textures. Using their easy-to-follow templates, make a 3-D model of your bird and dive into their pick ‘n’ mix recycled craft box to add finishing touches to personalise your bird.
There will be a free facilitated workshop on Thursday 29 May from 14.00-16.00 led by artist Colette Whittington.
3. Animal adventures – Little Liverpool special, Museum of Liverpool (27 May)
Are you ready to explore the wild world of animals? Welcome to Animal adventures! Join Museum of Liverpool’s animal-themed Little Liverpool special combining a visit to the popular Little Liverpool gallery, with extra animal-themed activities for their younger visitors to enjoy.
Animal adventures takes place on Tuesday mornings at 11.15am and on Sunday afternoons at 2.15pm.
4. Beanstalk! Shakespeare North Playhouse (27 May)
Beanstalk! is a fantastic tale for kids, big kids and everyone in between! Stuffed with outlandish mischief, magic, music and maybe a bean sprout or two…
Jack is stuck working in his Mum’s greengrocers and all he wants is to go on adventures! When a huge beanstalk starts sprouting between the shelves – maybe the biggest adventure isn’t so far away after all!
A classic slice of family theatre and ideal for a half term visit.
5. Aquarium Behind The Scenes Tour, World Museum (27 / 28 May)
Ever wanted to know what it takes to look after all the amazing animals in the World Museum’s aquarium? Wonder no more! Why not book onto this 20 minute Aquarium Behind The Scenes Guided Tour with one of the museum’s knowledgeable aquarium team members.
You’ll be taken into their back of house facilities to see how they look after the animals in their care. Each tour will have a maximum of 10 visitors and is for years 6+. They also ask for a minimum ratio of 3 children to 1 adult.
6. Big Art special: Art Sparks, Walker Art Gallery (27, 28 and 31 May)
Spark your creativity and have fun with Walker Art Gallery’s fabulous friendly facilitators in Big Art special: Art Sparks! Big Art is a very special place for young children and their grown ups to discover arty things together.
Explore your creativity as a family with their special facilitated activities and make a marvellous masterpiece to take home. Plus you’ll have some time to explore Big Art and all the wonderful resources for yourself.
There is a small charge of £2 per child with up to two accompanying adults who can attend free of charge.
7. Garden Cyanotypes: Family Print Session, Bluecoat (28 May)
Join Bluecoat as they explore this photographic printing process in a Family Friendly Print Session. Collect leaves and flowers from their beautiful spring garden to create your prints, or you can bring your own.
A cyanotype is a blue print made by placing an object on paper coated with iron salts. The silhouette of the object is transferred onto the paper as it is exposed to light, and appears after washing the paper in water. Suitable for ages 3+, just drop-in on the day.
8. Pirates Love Underpants, Liverpool Playhouse Theatre (28 – 31 May)
Pirates Love Underpants is based on the beloved book by Claire Freedman and Ben Cort. Join their swashbuckling party of pirates on their quest to find the fabled Pants of Gold for the Captain’s Treasure chest!
Dodge hungry crocs beneath Long-John Bridge, bob upon the waves of Big Knickers Bay, spot sharks in fancy underpants and trek across Three Pants Ridge.
Filled with music, puppetry and glittering pants of gold, arrr you ready to set sail for a family adventure?
9. Exciting Science, The Atkinson (30 May)
This brand new, Exciting Science educational show will amaze and astound all ages from 4 years and upwards, as they put the ‘Exciting’ back into ‘Science’.
With fun and fact filled experiments, watch in amazement as they recreate a volcanic eruption; turn a vacuum cleaner into a missile launcher or take aim at you with their smoke blaster!
So, stand clear and prepare to be amazed!
For even more things to do in Easter half term in Liverpool and the city region check out our What’s On Listings.
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