Press Releases

Liverpool Biennial receives major award from the Gulbenkian Foundation

Liverpool Biennial is delighted to announce that the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation will support a series of new commissions by European artists over a three-year period. The award for the Gulbenkian European Commissions begins in 2008, Liverpool’s year as European Capital of Culture, and continues until 2010.

Celebrating 10 years of commissioning ambitious and challenging new work by leading and emerging international artists, Liverpool Biennial’s 2008 International exhibition takes ‘Made Up’ as its theme. A number of Europe’s foremost artists have been commissioned to respond to this as part of the Gulbenkian award.

They include: Manfredi Beninati (Italy), David Blandy (UK), Tue Greenfort (Denmark), Hubbard & Birchler (Ireland/Switzerland), Jesper Just (Denmark), Otto Karvonen (Finland), Ulf Langheinrich (Germany), Gabriel Lester (Netherlands), Annette Messager (France), and Richard Woods (UK).

Lewis Biggs, Director of Liverpool Biennial, said, “We are delighted with this award, which recognises the intrinsic fit between the Gulbenkian’s ambition and record in supporting the realisation of top quality art from across Europe, and our own. This award will enable some impressive new commissions for Made Up, our 2008
international exhibition, and our development of an equally ambitious programme for 2010.”

Andrew Barnett, Director of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in the UK, said: “This major award to Liverpool Biennial reflects three of the Gulbenkian Foundation’s main interests: the making of adventurous new artworks; working with an established organisation outside London; and promoting a pan-European perspective.”

Established in 1998, Liverpool Biennial is the UK’s largest and most widely reviewed festival of contemporary visual art, and contributed significantly to the award of the title European Capital of Culture 2008 to the city of Liverpool. It is a major player in the cultural economy: the 2006 festival received 400,000 visitors, 50% travelling from outside the Merseyside region and created an additional £13.5m spend in the city. The 2004 festival won the Northwest regional title Best Tourism Event and was runner up (to The London Eye) for the accolade Best Tourism Experience in the national Enjoy
England Awards for Excellence organised by Visit Britain.

For further media information, please contact: Catharine Braithwaite on 07947 644110 or cat@we-r-lethal.com

Notes to editors

• Liverpool Biennial: International Festival of Contemporary Art 20 Sept - 30 Nov 08. Visit www.biennial.com for updates.
• The Liverpool Biennial 2008 festival of contemporary visual art is presented by Liverpool Biennial, with the Walker Art Gallery (National Museums Liverpool), John Moores Liverpool Exhibition Trust, and New Contemporaries at Greenland Street (A Foundation). It involves many smaller city centre galleries and alternative spaces.
• Liverpool Biennial is one of four key partners with whom the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation is working closely on arts projects and which are receiving significant grants over a fixed term. The others are: Tate Britain for the Gulbenkian Curator of Contemporary Art for the Tate Triennial 2009, and the Natural History Museum and the Galapagos Conservation Trust for projects related to the Charles Darwin bicentenary in 2009.
• The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation is a European foundation based in Lisbon, with offices in Paris and London. Calouste Gulbenkian was an Armenian born in 1869. He became a British citizen, conducted much of his work in Britain and France, and finally settled in Portugal. The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation was established in Lisbon in 1956, a year after his death. The UK Branch of the Foundation has a history of working across the UK and Ireland, initiating or supporting pioneering developments in the fields of Arts, Education, Social Change and Anglo-Portuguese Cultural Relations. For more information visit www.gulbenkian.org.uk or contact info@gulbenkian.org.uk
• Liverpool Biennial is funded by: Arts Council England, Northwest Regional Development Agency, The City of Liverpool, Liverpool European Capital of Culture 2008, Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, England's Northwest.
  It is founded by James Moores with the support of A Foundation.