Liverpool Biennial

What Liverpool Biennial does

Liverpool Biennial is a registered UK charity (charity number 1073956) that presents the UK's largest free festival of contemporary visual art, held biennially since 1999. The organisation curates a 14-week main festival across approximately 18 city venues — including Bluecoat, FACT Liverpool, Tate Liverpool, Open Eye Gallery, Liverpool Cathedral, and Walker Art Gallery, plus 'found venues' and outdoor public sites — alongside year-round learning and engagement programmes in schools and with community partners.

Core revenue sources are public funding from Arts Council England and Liverpool City Council, donations, foundation grants (Paul Hamlyn, Henry Moore, Art Fund, RIBA, Goethe-Institut), and limited edition art sales through the biennial.com shop and a new Allied Editions partnership at Frieze London. Visitor-facing pricing is zero — all main festival exhibitions and events are free — so the commercial logic relies on translating public profile, audience scale, and artistic prestige into grant income and donations rather than ticket revenue. The 2025 13th edition 'BEDROCK', curated by Marie-Anne McQuay, featured 31 artists including Turner Prize-winner Elizabeth Price; the 14th edition is scheduled for 5 June – 12 September 2027.

From an operational technology standpoint, Liverpool Biennial is not a technology business. Its digital infrastructure is limited to the biennial.com website (event listings, artist directory, newsletter sign-up, donation functionality, shop) built on standard web platforms, with Google Analytics for traffic analytics and CookieBot for cookie consent management. Strategic communications are run by a Senior Marketing & Communications Manager and a Digital Content and Marketing Officer. The organisation is led by Director Dr Samantha Lackey and governed by a Board of Trustees chaired by Cathryn Wright (from September 2025), with Cathryn replacing long-serving chair Kathleen Soriano.

Name

Liverpool Biennial

Legal name

Liverpool Biennial Ltd.

Website

https://www.biennial.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Liverpool Biennial is a UK registered charity presenting the UK's largest free biennial contemporary visual art festival across Liverpool venues, complemented by year-round learning programmes. It serves general audiences free of charge and is funded by Arts Council England, Liverpool City Council, foundations, and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Contemporary Visual Arts Festival

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Arts & Culture Community Festivals (Multidisciplinary Arts Weeks) (MPAGAEAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Cultural Festivals & Events Organizations (BPAGAHAG)

Keywords

• Contemporary art festival
• Visual arts biennial
• Public art commissions
• Community arts education
• Art exhibition programme

Headquarters

HQ city

Liverpool

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: Liverpool Biennial relies heavily on donations from supporters to keep the festival free and accessible for all visitors. The organisation actively campaigns for donations through its website and at events.
2. Limited Edition Art Sales: The organisation sells limited edition prints and artworks by participating artists through its shop. Sales of editions directly support new commissions, exhibitions, talks and education programmes. Partnerships with Allied Editions at Frieze London expand reach.
3. Core Public Funding: Liverpool Biennial receives substantial core funding from Arts Council England and Liverpool City Council, which enables the delivery of the free festival programme.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Liverpool Biennial produces a biennial contemporary visual art festival held every two years across 18 venues in Liverpool, featuring international artists commissioned to create new work. Alongside the festival, the charity runs a year-round learning and engagement programme with schools, community partners, and arts organisations. It sells limited edition prints by participating artists through its online shop and at Frieze London, and operates the Biennials Connect international curator development programme. All main festival exhibitions and events are provided free of charge to the public.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Contemporary visual art festival editions Recurring biennial contemporary visual art festival held across 18 venues in Liverpool featuring commissioned works by international artists, presented free of charge to the public over a 14-week period.
• Year-round learning and community engagement programme Year-round education and community outreach programme with schools, community partners, and arts organisations including school workshops, teacher resources, family workshops, and youth engagement co-creation projects.
• Liverpool Biennial limited edition print shop Online shop at biennial.com selling limited edition prints and merchandise by participating artists, with proceeds supporting new commissions, exhibitions, talks, and education programmes. Distributed online and at Allied Editions / Frieze London.
• Biennials Connect international curator programme Week-long curated programme of discourse, networking, venue tours, and peer engagement for mid-career curators from Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and South-East Asia, delivered in partnership with the British Council.
• Stages contemporary art journal Free open-access contemporary art journal published in partnership with Liverpool John Moores University's Exhibition Research Lab, providing scholarly content around festival themes.
• Public art commissions and installations Permanent and long-term commissioned public art installations around Liverpool, including Antony Gormley's 'Another Place' at Crosby Beach and Ugo Rondinone's 'Liverpool Mountain', co-commissioned with Tate Liverpool.

Quantifiable outcome

• 14-week festival across 18 city locations
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and major.

• British CouncilflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerBiennials Connect programme: partnership with British Council to host week-long events, discourse and networking for mid-career curators from Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and South-East Asia. Delegates participate in curated tours, visit arts organisations, and engage with sector peers.
• BluecoatcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLongstanding venue partner hosting artist exhibitions as part of the Biennial programme. Part of the core network of Liverpool arts venues.
• FACT LiverpoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenue partner hosting installations and gallery exhibitions as part of the Biennial, including collaborative events like the Art Against the World podcast skill share.
• Tate Liverpool + RIBA NorthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor venue partner hosting works from artists including Fred Wilson, Sheila Hicks, Christine Sun Kim, and Dawit L. Petros, as well as loans from the Tate Collection.
• Open Eye GallerycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenue partner specialising in lens-based media, hosting photographers and visual artists as part of the Biennial.
• National Museums LiverpoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor cultural institution partnership within the city's museum network.
• Liverpool CathedralmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-commissioning partner for Maria Loizidou's large-scale crocheted installation 'Where Am I Now?' in 2025, also hosting Ana Navas's glass collages in the Lady Chapel.
• Walker Art GallerycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenue partner hosting material-intensive works by Isabel Nolan, Petros Moris, Antonio Jose Guzman & Iva Jankovic, and other artists, situated within the gallery's national collection.
• The Black-EmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLiverpool's pioneering arts and community centre hosting Turner Prize-winning artist Elizabeth Price's major film installation in 2025.
• Liverpool BID CompanymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-commissioned public artwork 'Merseyside Totemy' by Alicja Biala examining the impact of climate change on Merseyside.
• SEVENSTOREmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership for artist bursaries supporting local artists in Liverpool and across Merseyside. SEVENSTORE connects people to ideas of community, technology and expression.
• DaDamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Liverpool-based disability and Deaf arts organisation for co-commissioning Amy Claire Mills's interactive sensory installation in 2025.
• First TakemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew partnership with award-winning filmmaking organisation for Katarzyna Perlak's collaborative film project with participants from their REEL: Queer programme.
• At The LibrarymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-commissioning partner with DARCH for earth, ceramic and sound installation exploring residents' connection to the land and bedrock of Merseyside.
• Allied Editions (Frieze London)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLiverpool Biennial joined Allied Editions at Frieze London as regional partner, alongside Camden Art Centre, Chisenhale Gallery, ICA, Serpentine, South London Gallery, Studio Voltaire and Whitechapel Gallery. Launching new limited editions including Charmaine Watkiss.
• FriezemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Frieze New Writers programme taking place in Liverpool from 25-27 July 2025, providing free three-day intensive course for aspiring writers.
• UP ProjectsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for event exploring environmentally responsible approaches to commissioning public art.
• a-n The Artists Information CompanymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for symposium on artists' rights and impactful advocacy, in association with International Association of Art Europe.
• British Science FestivalmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership weekend of events featuring Geophonic rock and walk performance and Taking Flight dance performance inspired by Maria Loizidou's installation.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Manchester International Festival: Biennial-style UK contemporary arts festival also reliant on Arts Council England and local council funding, with a similar mixed-arts programming model. It is the most directly comparable peer for Liverpool Biennial in terms of funding structure, scale and ambition.
• Folkestone Triennial: Triennial contemporary visual art festival using public and unusual spaces across Folkestone. Comparable in free public access model, use of 'found' outdoor venues, and UK Arts Council funding base.
• Biennale of Sydney: Long-running international biennial of contemporary art held across multiple venues in Sydney. Comparable in biennial cadence, multi-venue citywide distribution, and free public access model.
• Berlin Biennale: German biennial of contemporary art with international curators and free public exhibitions across Berlin venues. Comparable in contemporary art focus, free access, and multi-venue citywide delivery.
• Whitney Biennial: US biennial of contemporary American art held at the Whitney Museum in New York. Comparable as a recurring contemporary visual art biennial with curatorial themes and international artist commissions.
• Glasgow International: Biennial festival of contemporary visual art held across multiple venues in Glasgow, directly comparable in cadence, venue-distribution model and city-based free-access positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Venice Biennale: The most established international biennial, with a far larger global brand and broader programming remit. Comparable as a biennial contemporary art event but operates at materially larger scale with national-government backing.
• Edinburgh International Festival: Major UK annual summer arts festival in Edinburgh with multi-arts programming and citywide distribution. Comparable as a publicly funded UK festival but with a broader performing arts remit and annual (rather than biennial) cadence.
• Tate Liverpool: Major UK art gallery located in Liverpool and a key venue partner for Liverpool Biennial. Comparable as a free contemporary art venue in the same city and an overlapping audience base, but operates year-round with a permanent collection.

Regional players

• Bluecoat: Liverpool's contemporary arts centre and longstanding Liverpool Biennial venue partner. Comparable as a free contemporary visual arts venue and learning programme operator in Liverpool, though Bluecoat operates year-round rather than on a biennial cycle.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/liverpool-biennial-of-contemporary-art-ltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Liverpool Biennial