Independents Biennial 2025 will return to Liverpool City Region with 22 new artistic commissions, 64 artists and new work appearing across Liverpool, Sefton, Knowsley, Wirral and St Helens.
The artist-led festival, which runs concurrently to Liverpool Biennial, is created to showcase the vibrant art and art scene of the city-region.
The Independents Biennial has been showcasing the work of grassroots artists since 1999 and has been known by various names including Tracey, Biennial Fringe and Liverpool Independents. It is managed by Art in Liverpool but programmed at venues and locations across the city-region by artists, artist groups, art studios and artist networks.
In 2025, art will be exhibited at over 120 locations, some of which are traditional art spaces, others which are empty or unused high street or retail units. This year’s venues include Bidston Observatory, Hilbre Island, Dibbinsdale Nature Reserve, Bluecoat, The Atkinson, Huyton Village, The World of Glass, Crown Building Studios, Liverpool ONE, Mersey Ferries, Hamilton Square, Victoria Road in New Brighton and Fort Perch Rock.
The artists who are commissioned as part of Independents Biennial live and work in one of Liverpool city-region’s boroughs.
Those commissioned artists are Claire Beerjeraz, CBS Gallery, Rebecca Chesney, Jon Davies & the Sound Art Network, Alan Dunn, Ellis Eyo Thompson, Amy Flynn, Freddy Franke & Rat Shack, George Grace Gibson & Gee Collins, Ellie Hoskins, Anna Jane Houghton & Abbie Bradshaw, Noel Jones & 24 Hope Street, Brigitte Jurack, Dongni Laing, Georgina Tyson & The Royal Standard, Sufea Mohamad Noor, Daniel O’Dempsey, Tom Stockley & Ruaíri Valentine, The Drawing Paper (Show), Stephanie Trujillo, Jacques Verkade & Callan Waldron Hall, and Les Weston.
Patrick Kirk Smith is Director of Art in Liverpool and Lead producer of Independents Biennial said:
“2025 has been twenty-six years in the making. The festival responds to the needs of Merseyside’s artist networks as things stand, by promoting, supporting and creating new gallery provisions, actively commissioning artists at every stage of their career, and continuing to support artists regardless of cash funds, because the Independents isn’t about making what’s possible, or what’s allowed, or supported. It’s always been about what’s not possible, and what goes unsupported. So we’re here, trying our best to support where we can, and that looks different for every artist.
This summer, that makes Merseyside look different for everybody, whether you’re wandering around a nature reserve or squished into a single car garage for a DJ set.”
The print magazine Art in Liverpool will act as a programme for the festival, alongside digital platforms, allowing people to find out what’s on and read more about the art and artists in the newspaper.
READ MORE: Liverpool summer festivals return with new Hope Street Blend
