As part of a shared commitment to enhancing learning and collaboration between UK and international curators, Liverpool Biennial and the British Council are joining forces to offer 8 fully-funded opportunities to attend a curator’s networking and development week, within the 13th edition of Liverpool Biennial. This programme will consist of talks, workshops, performances, tours, trips and networking opportunities with national peers and artists, all of which will be tailored to the individual ambitions and practices of the selected delegation. The aim is to offer support and development opportunities for international curators to make links with UK practitioners and institutions, thereby fostering future collaboration.
Applications are open to mid-career curators living and working in select countries within Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and Southeast Asia, who are looking to expand their international networks and knowledge. Curators whose practices or approach might resonate and connect with the Liverpool Biennial 2025 theme of ‘BEDROCK’ are encouraged to apply. ‘BEDROCK’ draws on Liverpool’s distinctive geography and the beliefs which underpin the city’s social foundations. It is inspired by the sandstone which spans the city region and is found in its distinctive architecture. ‘BEDROCK’ also acts as a metaphor for the social foundations of Liverpool and the people, places and values that ground all of us. 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 their own definition of ‘BEDROCK’. Definitions of the theme include family and chosen family, cultural heritage carried across the generations, and the environments that nurture and restore them. Central to this understanding of ‘BEDROCK’ is the sense of loss that comes from the ongoing legacies of colonialism and empire so formative to Liverpool’s foundations.
The eight successful recipients will attend a week-long research and development trip to Liverpool at a key point in the festival. The week is designed to offer opportunities for discourse, inspiration, knowledge and skills exchange while encouraging curators to build professional relationships with one another. Across the week, recipients will have the opportunity to participate in a number of curated talks, workshops, trips, studio visits, presentations and events, all of which aim to facilitate sharing and connectivity between practices and geographies. This includes the opportunity for the curators to present their practice to the group and other artists and curators, hospitality events with local and national organisations, studio visits with local artists as well as tailored opportunities for individuals based on their own practices and research. There will also be an opportunity to discover the broader cultural scene in the North of England with a day trip to Bradford City of Culture 2025. Participants will also have the opportunity to contribute to Liverpool Biennial’s digital resource journal ‘Stages’, alongside the ongoing evaluation of the programme. To find out more about this opportunity, visit you www.biennial.com and download the Liverpool Biennial x British Council Curator’s Week information pack. Applications are open until the 2nd of March 2025 while the biennial itself runs from the 7th of June until the 14th of September 2025.
