uMoya — Liverpool Biennial 2023
It’s the 25th anniversary of the Liverpool Biennial and this iteration addresses the history of the city by inviting UK and international artists to explore the concept of uMoya (pronounced oo-moy-ah), an isiZulu word meaning spirit, soul, breath, air, wind, temper and climate. Artists were asked to consider uMoya as both a guide for the future and a provocation to return that which has been lost or taken from those who have been silenced or forgotten. Work from 35 artists is spread across 8 venues and 5 outdoor installations, but along the way you’ll pass by dozens more artsy opportunities indoors and out because Liverpool has more galleries and national museums than any other city in the UK apart from London.
I recently went with a friend and we tried to cram in as much as we could, seeing twenty artists, three venues and a modernist architectural bonus in a short four and a half hours. The round-trip travel from London Euston took just as much time so it was a pretty long day, but it was chock full of art and absolutely worth the trip.
The official website has suggested itineraries but we decided to create our own. Here’s a recap of our route in case you’d like to follow in our footsteps.
Lime Street Station to Albert Dock
Distance: 1.5 miles
Time: ~1 hour
There’s no better way to start than with the outdoor art, and the first leg of the day will take you past over half a dozen outdoor commissions, most of them permanent.
From Liverpool Lime Street station, where your train from London Euston will arrive, cross the street then wander anti-clockwise around the Grade I listed neoclassical landmark St. George’s Hall, a venue for weddings, exhibitions & events. You’ll pass by some traditional bronze statues as you make your way to the beautiful back gardens, where you’ll come face-to-face with some menacing looking cast-bronze basket masks by Nicholas Galanin. These were the first faces that greeted me in Liverpool and I was thankful it happened in broad daylight!
From there it’s a 15 min walk to find Ranti Bam’s burlap-textured clay containers that look like they’ve been squished and sat on. These are situated in the burial location of Liverpool’s first recorded Black resident and former slave. While looking at these you’ll probably smell the sea since the Mersey is a short walk away. Head towards Alicja Biala’s three colourful totems, then turn left and continue towards Albert Dock, which has a lot more outdoor art. Music lovers will definitely want to stop along the way to pay tribute to the local landmark statues of the Fab Four and Billy Fury.
Tate & a Brookie!
Distance: four flights of stairs, or use the lift
Time: ~90 min, including lunch
Tate Liverpool has the largest concentration of Biennial installations, but after that first hour you’ve probably worked up quite the appetite. There’s plenty of options around Albert Dock, but we opted to enjoy the Tate cafe, finishing with a lovely cup of tea and a Brookie — a brownie on a cookie! Hey Tate Modern… why don’t you have these?
On the ground floor, Torkwase Dyson’s three horseshoe shaped structures welcome you with their imposing display of balance. These look like they might just decide to roll through the room at any moment. Don’t worry, they won’t! They’re a stark contrast to Edgar Calel’s work upstairs, where real fruit and vegetables are balanced on rocks after being specially placed during a private Mayan ritual. Thanks to rising inflation impacting food costs, the work has gained some unintended meaning as the slowly decaying produce fills the room with scents and some visual whimsy. In fact, there’s a lot of work on this floor that makes interesting use of objects in an unexpected way, from Francis Offman’s books balanced on callipers to Guadalupe Maravilla’s ‘Disease Thrower’ constructions. Are they organic beings or an elaborate shrine? I couldn’t quite tell. Maybe both?
Overall, I was incredibly impressed with the displays at the Tate. It’s a well curated wide range of work, with each of the installations given enough space to breath along with some exemplary wall text. Plus, the smaller, intimate rooms encourage you to slow down to investigate the meaning of each of the works and how they make you feel. Whatever your Biennial agenda, be sure not to miss the Tate.
Bluecoat / Victoria Gallery & Museum
Distance: 1.3 miles
Time: ~1 hour
Next we made a beeline to the Bluecoat, stopping briefly to explore their small but well manicured back garden entrance. I’m gonna be honest, after the exceptional experience at the Tate most of these works were a bit underwhelming, although I particularly enjoyed the video of Raisa Kabir making life sized weavings around sticks on a lawn. There’s also a ridiculously long, tall set of stairs to leads to a single small room. It’s worth the daunting climb to see the only bed to rival Tracy Emin’s. And how could it not? Benoît Piéron has pimped his out with fairy lights, toaster and a flip-down breakfast table. There’s also a gutter running along the side, presumably in case the occupant drinks too much tea and might wet the bed?
From here the Victoria Gallery & Museum is about a 20 min walk away. Uphill! Your reward is the gorgeous Grade II Victorian architecture and interiors and ‘Jardim’ by Antonio Obá, which contains hundreds of brass bells. Yes, you can ring them. In fact, it’s irresistible not to! I wish there was more interactive art in the world, and brilliantly satisfying installations like this are a prime example why. Then again, I suspect the gallery attendants go home with a migraine each night.
Aside from two other Biennial displays, there’s quite a range of historic and contemporary art at the Victoria Gallery. On any other day I would have gladly spent another hour to explore it all, but at this point we had a return train to catch and there was one more stop we wanted to squeeze in.
Metropolitan Cathedral
Distance: ~0.5 mi
Time: ~45 min
Head back down Brownlow Hill and on your left you’ll see the Metropolitan Cathedral, a modernist church built in the early 60s that looks like it’s the backdrop to a sci-fi set. Climb the steps to the open air courtyard, then walk around the tower to get to the main entrance. It’s free to go in and you don’t even have to genuflect, although donations are greatly appreciated since it costs £4,000 each day to run and maintain. It’s a rare example of a circular church, enabling up to 2,000 attendees to gaze inwards at the central altar and upwards into the tower, gloriously lit by red, yellow and blue stained glass.
Once you’re done paying your respects to religion and/or engineering, it’s a short 10 min walk back to Lime Street. Grab some goodies then settle into your seat for a few snacks before you drift off the sleep, dreaming about all the art and Liverpool landmarks you’ve just seen.
Plan your visit
‘uMoya: The Sacred Return of Lost Things’ runs until 17 Sept.
All venues are free! Donations greatly appreciated.
Visit biennial.com and follow @liverpoolbiennial on Instagram for more info about the artists, venues and activities.
Top tip: Be sure to check individual venue opening times for all exhibitions as opening days and hours may differ.
🖼️ Want more art? Visit the What’s On page to see a list of recommended shows, sorted by closing date. Don’t miss ‘em!