Announcing Theme and Participating Artists for Liverpool Biennial 2027

Today, Liverpool Biennial reveals the title and participating artists for its 14^th edition, ‘The Age of Magical Thinking’. The Biennial is curated by Aimee Harrison and Lucía Sanromán and will run between 5 June and 19 September 2027. The title draws on psychologist Jean Piaget’s identification of a particular period in childhood development when the lines between reality and make-believe are blurred. This is an age when the imagination is powerful; tomorrow is charged with potential and when magical thinking can help to create new, alternative worlds.

‘The Age of Magical Thinking’ brings 25 international artists and collectives to Liverpool’s galleries and public spaces, with artworks ranging from reflections on the experience of childhood and the importance of children’s rights, to projects that recognise young people as experts of their own experience, encouraging visitors to learn together through play and technology.

Throughout the city, artworks will explore the complexity of the past, address the uncertainty of the present, and provoke necessary questions about the future. The participating artists are:

Ad Minoliti (Argentina), Amalia Pica (Argentina/UK), Anya Paintsil (Wales), Charmaine Poh (Singapore/Germany), Dor Guez (Jerusalem/Athens), EBB.Global (France), Elias Nafaa (Lebanon/Canada), Francis Alÿs (Belgium/Mexico), Harold Offeh (Ghana/UK), Hiroko Kubo (Japan), Immy Mali (Uganda), Iván Argote (Colombia/France), the vacuum cleaner (UK), Laakkuluk Williamson (Greenlandic Inuk/Canada), Wen Cheng Lee (Taiwan), Marilyn Boror Bor (Guatemala), Petrit Halilaj (Kosovo/Germany), Rineke Dijkstra (The Netherlands), Robert Gabris (Slovakia/Austria), Ronak & Roza Moshtaghi (Iran/Germany/Norway), Ruth Ewan (Scotland), Tania Candiani (Mexico),Yarema Malashchuk and Roman Khimei (Ukraine), Zohra Opoku (Germany/Ghana).

As part of the Biennial, Williamson Square will be activated with a public realm artwork, co-created with local young people, and artist Harold Offeh. Together they will programme the space with events and activities throughout summer 2027. This major project is supported by Arts Council England National Lottery Project Grants and delivered in partnership with the European Children’s Rights Unit (ECRU), The University of Liverpool’s School of Law and Social Justice, Merseyside Youth Association and PLACED.

Lucía Sanromán, Co-Curator, Liverpool Biennial 2027, said:

“As someone deeply committed to socially engaged and participatory forms of art, working on a Biennial informed by the perspectives and experiences of children and young people has given Aimee and I a lens to view and face the complexity of this particularly uncertain political moment, globally. I think of childhood and youth as a period of constant transition, of change and possibility, but also a time that demands and requires the urgency to question the present. Artists in the exhibition give us insights into the imagination of childhood, spurring us to boldly ask for a better future. The exhibition responds to the loud demands by young people throughout the world to be taken seriously in how political decisions are made, and for whom.”

Aimee Harrison, Co-Curator, Liverpool Biennial 2027, said:

“It’s been a long-held passion of mine to bring together artists to explore a stage of development that we have all shared. We have an opportunity to learn alongside children about living in a world that is both hard and full of possibility. My first role in an arts organisation was working with young people. I have always been heartened by their hope, honesty and spirit for justice. It has been a privilege to explore these complexities with the incredible artists and Co-Curator Lucía Sanromán. Our Biennial is truly grounded in the experiences of children and young people. Projects like the Williamson Square artwork are an important reminder of why the perspectives of children and young people are vital to the present and future of our cultural spaces, places and creative practice.”

Sam Lackey, Director, Liverpool Biennial, said:

“‘The Age of Magical Thinking’ brings together artists from across the globe to reflect on childhood and its inevitable complexity and difference. We are delighted to work again once more with our brilliant partner venues across the city and are, as always, grateful for the support of our core funders Arts Council England, Liverpool City Council and Liverpool Accommodation BID for enabling us to achieve our mission of sharing extraordinary contemporary art with everyone and making Liverpool an exceptional place to work, study and visit.”

Liverpool Biennial is the UK’s largest free festival of contemporary art. Taking place in galleries, historic buildings and unexpected spaces, the Biennial has been transforming the city through art for over two decades. A dynamic programme of free events, including performances, parties and community and learning activities unfolds throughout the summer.

The Biennial programme is presented in venues and the public realm across Liverpool, in partnership with the city’s leading art venues, including Bluecoat, Exhibition Research Lab at Liverpool John Moores University, FACT Liverpool, Open Eye Gallery, Victoria Gallery & Museum, and Walker Art Gallery. The festival will also return to Liverpool Cathedral, with further venues and sites announced in Spring 2027.