Liverpool Biennial Northern England Tour

Sara Jaspan, Exhibitions Editor

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Liverpool Biennial Northern England Tour

18 January 2019-3 May 2020

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

Holly Hendry, Cenotaph, 2018. Liverpool Biennial Touring Programme 2019
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Each edition of Liverpool Biennial lasts a whole summer but goes by in a flash. This has especially been the case in recent years as the festival has rapidly expanded in size, in the numbers of artists involved and in the scale of its ambitions, making it a hard push to take in everything there is to see. As such, the Liverpool Biennial Northern England Tour, presented in venues across the North, will offer many a welcome opportunity to experience a selection of artworks from the 2018 city-wide exhibition that they may have missed the first time around. But it also constitutes much more than this. If the inaugural 2017 iteration of the region-wide project is anything to go by, alternative artist pairings and close curatorial attention to shifting contexts of place should give way to an entirely fresh set of Biennial experiences.

First stop is Hull (18 Jan-31 Mar) where Humber Street Gallery will host works by three female Biennial 2018 artists. Inci Eviner’s film Re-enactment of Heaven (2018, which débuted in the bowels of St George’s Hall) captures a group of singers locked in a multi-layered choreography that responds to the role consigned to women in societies dominated by the male gaze. Hovering between painting, sculpture, video and performance, Suki Seokyeong Kang’s audience-activated Land Sand Strand installation (2016-18, originally presented at Bluecoat) offers a visual translation of Korean musical notation. And Annie Pootoogook’s deeply poignant set of drawings, which filled a whole room at Tate Liverpool, depict the harsh realities of daily life in the Inuit community in which she grew up. (Pootoogook’s work will also be the focus of a solo exhibition at Touchstones Rochdale, 13 Jul-Sep.)

Suki Seokyeong Kang, Land Sand Strand, 2016–2018. Liverpool Biennial 2018
Suki Seokyeong Kang, Land Sand Strand, 2016–2018

 

The Turnpike in Leigh is next in the series of seven stopping places along the tour. Here, Mohamed Bourouissa’s Horse Day (2013) will be on show from 16 Feb-25 Mar. The film focuses on a North Philadelphia community’s efforts at neighbourhood revitalisation, captured through an equestrian event which the artist designed, staged and documented. Opening a week later, at Bury Art Museum and Sculpture Centre (23 Feb-4 May) Aslan Gaisumov’s critically acclaimed film Keicheyuhea (2017), reflecting on the struggles and turbulent histories of the Chechen people, will be presented alongside Turner Prize nominee Janice Kerbel’s series of silkscreen posters, Fight (2018), which reproduce a choreographed combat between twelve people, exploring how violence can can both erupt and dissipate unannounced.

Perfectly relocated from the gallery context of Open Eye to Nelson Library (8-30 Jun), In-Situ will present Madiha Aijaz’s film These Silences Are All the Words (2018) which explores the public libraries of Karachi, Pakistan, against the backdrop of the city’s changing landscape and a linguistically-divided postcolonial state. Running concurrently over in nearby Burnley, Reetu Sattar’s film Harano Sur (Lost Tune) (2018), which filled Liverpool Playhouse’s rehearsal studio with the sounds of the harmonium (a musical instrument that is tightly integrated into the traditional culture of Bangladesh but in danger of disappearing) will appear in the equally unlikely setting of Thompson Park.

Taus Makhacheva, Sculptural Signature Facial, 2018
Taus Makhacheva, Sculptural Signature Facial, 2018

 

Two presentations at The Tetley in Leeds look set to bring the Liverpool Biennial 2019 touring programme to a dramatic close. From 22 Jun-13 Oct, Holly Hendry’s large-scale public artwork, Cenotaph (2018), inspired by the artist’s interest in the underground architecture of cities, will find a new home just outside the former brewery site along the Hunslet Stray. And finally, Taus Makhacheva’s fully-functioning ASMR (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response) Spa (2018) will be back open and taking bookings on selected dates as part of a wider solo exhibition of the celebrated artist’s work from 31 Jan-3 May 2020.

Whether Liverpool Biennial passed you by this year or you diligently ticked-off every last one of the festival’s multiple offerings (if so; bravo), the 2019 touring programme seems unlikely to disappoint.

Where to go near Liverpool Biennial Northern England Tour

Testbed Main Space
Leeds
Event venue
TESTBED

TESTBED is a newly renovated 10,000 sq foot event venue in Leeds that offers endless possibilities for creating unique and inspiring experiences.

Manchester
Restaurant
Salt & Pepper

Chinese inspired British food in the centre of Manchester, backed up by plenty of well-deserved local hype.

Morning Glory - Coffee Cup
Manchester
Café or Coffee Shop
Morning Glory

Morning Glory positions itself as a grab-and-go spot, with just 12 seats inside serving coffee, bagels and sweet treats.

The Warehouse In Holbeck
Leeds
Event venue
The Warehouse In Holbeck

Run by acclaimed theatre company Slung Low, The Warehouse in Holbeck is home to boundary-pushing performance and community projects.

Leeds
Event venue
The Attic

Tucked away above the bustle of Merrion Street, The Attic is one of Leeds’ most distinctive small venues – intimate, unpretentious, and steeped in DIY spirit.

The Chevin is a great place for visitors to do lots of different activities and is open all year round with 5 free car parks. To help you find out whatís best for you we have divided this section up into some of these different activities.Please be aware that The Chevin is a working estate so you may see vehicles including timber-extraction lorries using some of the tracks.Self-guided WalksThe Chevin is a big place and there is a good network of paths to make your own circular walk, but if you want to follow a themed trail there is a Geology Trail, Heritage Time Trail and a route for Tree Spotters.Bikes & HorsesThere is an extensive bridleway network on the eastern parts of The Chevin that caters for a range of abilities.Orienteering and GeocachingTwo orienteering courses and a number of geocache sites are waiting to be discovered.Climbing & BoulderingThere are many fantastic crags for climbing and boulders for bouldering.Mobility Scooters & Wheelchairs
Leeds
Restaurant
Oporto

For many years, Oporto has been a beacon of alternative energy on Leeds’ Call Lane – serving up great food and drink alongside resident DJs and live music.

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