Our team is the core of Liverpool Biennial, made up of permanent staff and temporary team members.
You can contact the office at +44 (0)151 433 9156 and email info@biennial.com with general enquiries.
Director and Curator
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Director
Samantha Lackey
Dr Samantha Lackey was Head of Collection and Exhibitions at the Whitworth (University of Manchester), where she was senior lead on the Leadership Team. Previously, she was curator at The Hepworth Wakefield (2010-16) where she delivered 40 exhibitions over 4 years as part of the team that opened the gallery in 2011 to critical acclaim. She received a PhD on the subject of surrealism in 2005, which was the context for her work as a lecturer, research fellow and her first exhibition at the Whitworth, Subversive Spaces: Surrealism and Contemporary Art.
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Curator, Liverpool Biennial 2025
Marie-Anne McQuay
Prior to joining Arts&Heritage as Director of Projects, Marie-Anne McQuay was Head of Programme at the Bluecoat, Liverpool (2015 – June 2022) where she curated exhibitions and commissions by Larissa Sansour, Adham Faramawy, Suki Chan, Jade Montserrat, Serena Korda, Jonathan Baldock, Elaine Mitchener, Rosa-Johan Uddoh, Sumuyya Khader, Frances Disley and Grace Ndiritu.
She was Guest International Curator for Wales in Venice 2019 with artist Sean Edwards and Tŷ Pawb, Wrexham. Previously Marie-Anne was Curator at Spike Island, Bristol (2007-2013), working with artists including Elizabeth Price, Laure Prouvost, Can Altay, Sonia Boyce, Cevdet Erek, Haroon Mirza, Cezary Bodzianowski, Melissa Gordon, Amanda Beech, Sean Edwards, Uriel Orlow and Jesse Jones.
She is currently part of the Arts Council Collection Acquisitions Committee 2022-25, on the Advisory of Board of At The Library, a programme of artist-led workshops, projects, commissions and happenings in community libraries in Bootle, Crosby and Netherton, and External Examiner for Art Galleries & Museum Studies MA, University of Leicester 2023-26.
Programme
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Director of Programme and Partnerships
Lily Mellor
Lily Mellor completed a BA (Hons) in Fine Art in 2013 and Masters in Fine Art (MFA) 2015, both at Northumbria University and whilst working at BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art. Lily went on to join the Biennial as a trainee in the Programme team and then a staff member in the Development team. She joined the Hull City of Culture team in 2017 as Assistant Producer on the Turner Prize at Ferens Art Gallery and went on to be Producer at Absolutely Cultured. In this role, she managed the delivery of ambitious outdoor festivals, a gallery exhibition programme and talent development programmes that focused on enhancing place, sharing untold stories and bringing people together.
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Curator of Learning
Aimee Harrison
Aimee is an artist and producer from Liverpool. Prior to the Biennial she was Children and Young People’s Producer at Heart of Glass, St Helens and also worked at FACT Liverpool as Learning Coordinator. She completed her MA in Fine Art at Liverpool John Moores University. She has produced projects working with people from different communities including children and young people, older adults, womxn and people within the criminal justice system.
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Programme Manager
James Harper
James Harper is a Welsh artist and creative producer, based in Liverpool. Alongside his role at Liverpool Biennial, he is Founding Director of Periclo CIC, a studio group and project space in Wrexham.
James has been part of Liverpool’s cultural scene since 2010 having held a studio and acted as Artistic Director at The Royal Standard within the city. As an independent practitioner, he has worked with organisations such as A-N, Bluecoat, Clwyd Theatr Cymru, Site Gallery and Tate Liverpool. He has a Masters in Curating from Chelsea College of Arts and previously held the role of Curator at Ty Pawb, Wrexham.
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Freelance Production Manager
Dave Berger
Dave has 20 years of experience in arts and music production and has helped realise the technical aspects of countless exhibitions and events in the UK and world-wide.
Having previously worked primarily as a sound engineer, he became involved in gallery and museum installations in 2008 and went on to work for the Barbican Centre’s international department as an audio-visual technician, installing multi-disciplinary exhibitions in venues around the globe. He has been working as a freelance AV consultant and production manager for various arts organisations and individuals in Liverpool and London since 2016.
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Assistant Curator
Amy Stevenson
Following her undergraduate studies, Amy was the recipient of a Weston Jerwood Creative Bursary – joining The Hepworth Wakefield as Curatorial Assistant and later progressing to Assistant Curator. Here, Amy worked on several largescale exhibitions including the inaugural Hepworth Prize for Sculpture, Anthea Hamilton Reimagines Kettle’s Yard and Disobedient Bodies: JW Andreson Curates The Hepworth Wakefield. Following this, Amy held several collections-based roles at Science Museum Group.
As an independent curator, Amy has curated exhibitions in gallery spaces and art fairs and has worked on international projects including Creative Time’s programming at the Venice Biennale. She recently gained an MA in Art Gallery and Museum Studies from the University of Manchester and held a curatorial role at The Whitworth (University of Manchester) prior to joining Liverpool Biennial.
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Assistant Curator, Logistics and Registrar
Julia Gros
Julia Gros is a French curator and art handler based in the UK for the past 8 years. She received her Bachelors in Art History (Bordeaux Montaigne University, France) and her Master degree in Criticism and Curation at Central Saint Martins (University of the Arts London, UK).Before starting at Liverpool Biennial she has worked for galleries, institutions, and artist-run spaces including Musée des Arts Décoratifs et du Design, Bordeaux; PADA studios, Lisbon; Hweg Gallery, Penzance and Tate Gallery, St Ives where she worked on the organisation and installation of major retrospective exhibitions and ambitious contemporary art shows.She has participated in a number of residencies including Global Art Practice, a research programme in Tokyo, Hong Kong and London led by Central Saint Martins and Tokyo University of the Arts (2018); as well as PADA Studios Residency where she became residency coordinator (2020).She has a strong interest in photography and publishing, and co-edited publications throughout the years, including photography book ‘rather fly than walk’ (2022). -
Front of House Coordinator
Laura Barnes
Laura completed a BA (Hons) in English in 2021 at The University of Birmingham and a Masters in Shakespeare and Theatre (MA) at The Shakespeare Insititute in Stratford-Upon-Avon in 2022.Prior to joining the Biennial, Laura moved to Liverpool to work for The Reader Charity as a Creative Coordinator for the Children and Young People’s team, where she discovered her passion for bringing families and community groups together through shared experiences. In this role she produced and facilitated storytelling sessions both at The Reader’s interactive play space, The Storybarn, and within school and arts settings in Merseyside, before progressing to manage the Storybarn team. -
Front of House Coordinator
Gareth Rudge
Gareth is an artist and creative from Liverpool. He completed a BA (Hons) Photography Degree from University College Falmouth in 2012. He developed a passion for facilitating engagement between the public and the arts, making the interaction accessible to all. Prior to working with the Biennial he has worked in Public facing roles throughout the city and has worked with organisations including The Bluecoat, The Open Eye Gallery and previous editions of the Liverpool Biennial.
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Access Liaison Officer
Adrian Watts
Adrian has been working as a producer in the arts & culture for over 25 years. With a background in touring theatre and live art he has been specialising in d/Deaf & disability work for the last 10 years. He was creative producer for Fittings Multimedia Arts from 2013 until 2019 founding the Unlimited House of Krip, the UK’s first d/Deaf & disabled Vogue House and has worked with House of Suarez on diversifying Houses for their legendary Vogue Balls and championing creative access in theatre and the arts. He is an access consultant and artistic support worker.
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Learning Assistant
Alex Bishop
Alex is a practising sculptor and ceramicist from St Helens. She completed a BA (Hons) in Fine Art at Lancaster University in 2018. Since graduating, Alex has been working within community engagement across multiple arts organisations. Prior to joining team at Biennial, Alex held the role of Studio Facilitator and Pastoral Officer at Blue Room Inclusive Arts at the Bluecoat, where they played a key role in artist development. Alex also held the role of Facilitator for Out of the Blue, Bluecoat’s Children & Families programme, providing art experiences to those who might normally not have access to them. Accessibility and inclusivity are at the forefront of Alex’s practice and way of working as a queer, disabled neurodiverse artist. -
Programme Assistant
Zoë Murphy
Zoë completed a BA(Hons) in Fine Art at Falmouth University. Since then, she has worked in front of house and administrative roles across Tate Liverpool, Open Eye Gallery, Culture Warrington, National Museums Liverpool and The Lowry. She was a previous Mediator at the 10th edition of Liverpool Biennial in 2018.
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Liverpool Biennial Professor of Exhibition Research
Joasia Krysa
Joasia is Professor of Exhibition Research and Head of Art & Design at LJMU, with an adjunct position at Liverpool Biennial. She currently serves as curatorial advisor to Helsinki Biennial 2021 and Sapporo Art Triennale (SIAF), Japan. Previously, she was Artistic Director of Kunsthal Aarhus, Denmark, she was part of the Documenta 13 curatorial team and was co-curator of Liverpool Biennial 2016. Her recent publications include Systemics, or Exhibition as a Series (Sternberg Press, 2017) and, with Jussi Parikka, Writing and Unwriting Media Art History (MIT Press 2015). She is also commissioning editor for Liverpool Biennial’s online journal Stages.
Development, Marketing & Communications
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Interim Head of Development
Aoife Robinson
Aoife is an arts fundraiser and project manager. She joined Liverpool Biennial in 2018 after working in Fundraising and Development roles at CFCCA and FACT. Originally from Nottinghamshire, she moved to Liverpool to study Philosophy, and developed interests in aesthetics, feminism and cultural criticism. She has since collaborated with many Liverpool based organisations and grassroots projects to deliver events around these themes.
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Fundraising Officer
Elise Longden
Elise gained experience in the art sector as an independent illustrator and graphic designer – working internationally with Macmillan Publishing to produce images in special edition books for Barnes & Noble and collaborating with NYT Bestselling Author Tomi Adeyemi to design merchandise. Elise graduated with a BA in Creative Writing from LJMU and gained fundraising experience working for Claire House Children’s Hospice.
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Marketing & Communications Manager
Lucinda Riding
Lucinda joined the Liverpool Biennial team from a busy cultural communications agency, where she oversaw national and international campaigns for clients ranging from art fairs, collectors and commercial art galleries to public institutions and not-for-profit organisations. Previously, Lucinda worked in the press office at Christie’s auction house where she worked on the campaigns for the 250th anniversary of the organisation and major auctions. She completed a degree in Hispanic Studies and English Literature at King’s College London in 2016.
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Digital Content & Marketing Officer
Laura Hessey
Laura completed a BA (Hons) in Fine Art: Painting from UAL: Camberwell College of Arts, graduating in 2020 with a creative practice of film and writing. Prior to joining the Biennial team, Laura worked as the Communications Assistant at Open Eye Gallery, taking the lead on the publicity, marketing and management of the organisation’s social media during the LOOK Climate Lab 2022.
Operations, Finance & HR
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HR Support Manager
Jade Mitchell
Before joining the Biennial team, Jade gained administration, operations and finance experience in several third sector organisations including social arts agency Heart of Glass. Outside of this work, Jade has also provided marketing and communications support to small businesses in the North West, including the coordination and management of the digital General Election campaign for Helen Jones MP.
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Executive Assistant & Operations Manager
Marta Sanders
Marta holds a BA (Hons) in Fine Art Photography from The Glasgow School of Art, and she completed an MA in Contemporary Art Theory from Goldsmiths in 2023, while working several jobs including roles at the Data & Marketing Association and Tate. She tries to read a book a week and fails most weeks.
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Head of Finance
Allison Mottram
Allison has a vast experience of Finance and Management accounts, having previously worked for a range of organisations throughout the North West within the retail and housing sectors. Following her BTEC National Diploma in Accountancy and Bookeeping, Allison studied through the Open University to achieve her AAT and CIMA pq qualifications.
Trustees
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Chair
Kathleen Soriano
Kathleen Soriano began her career at the Royal Academy of Arts 30 years ago. In 1989 she joined the National Portrait Gallery as Head of Exhibitions & Collections, with additional responsibility for national and international programmes. In 2004 she became one of the first cohort of Clore Leadership Fellows taking up roles at the South Bank Centre and Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. In February 2006 she became Director of Compton Verney, Warwickshire and in 2009 returned to the RA as Director of Exhibitions where she remained until 2014 when she left to work independently. She has written extensively in her field and her broadcast activities include the five series of Portrait/Landscape Artist of the Year for SkyArts.
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Deputy Chair & Chair of FHRC
Ian McCarthy
Ian McCarthy is a Town Planner and Programme Director with a strong commitment to building viable, vibrant, and inclusive places. During an extensive career, he has contributed to the economic regeneration of Manchester and Liverpool and established and delivered the UK’s International Business Festival 2014–2018 as Festival Director. Ian is currently a Director of several not-for-profit organisations including Shakespeare North Playhouse, his own consultancy and produces BACKLANDS, a community collaboration recording, exploring, and interpreting industrial legacy landscapes.
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Treasurer
Natasha Bintley
Natasha Bintley is a Liverpool born Chartered Accountant. Having completed a Master of Arts in Economics and Mathematics at the University of Edinburgh, Natasha commenced an ACA training contract at DSG Chartered Accountants, where she was also Secretary of the Liverpool Students Chapter (LCASA). Following qualification in 2017, she moved to RSM UK, working in audit with technical specialisms in AIM Listed companies and the not-for-profit sector.
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Catherine Petitgas
Catherine Petitgas is a London-based art historian, patron and collector specialising in modern and contemporary art especially from Latin America. Following a career in finance in London and New York she retrained in art history with a Diploma of Modern Art Studies from Christie’s Education and a Masters in the History of Modern Art from the Courtauld Institute, London. She has been Executive Editor of books on the contemporary art scenes of Brazil, Colombia and Mexico, curator of exhibitions in the US and in Latin America, a lecturer and a guide at Tate Modern and Tate Britain. She is a former Trustee of the Whitechapel Gallery (2009-2018), former Chair of the Franco-British initiative Fluxus Art Projects (2010-2022) and the current Chair of Gasworks Triangle Network in London. She is the former Chair of the Tate International Council (2016-2022) and a member of the Tate Latin America Acquisitions Committee (since 2004). She is also a member of the Board of Les Amis du Centre Pompidou and the Pompidou Latin America Circle in Paris, and founding member of the Guggenheim Latin Circle (since 2016) in New York, among others. She supports several institutions in Latin America including the São Paulo Biennial and the Museo Tamayo in Mexico City. She discovered the Liverpool art scene in 2003 as a Tate Guide and has supported several initiatives in the city since, at Tate Liverpool and the Liverpool Biennial.
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Charmaine Watkiss
Charmaine Watkiss worked in the design industry before becoming a full-time artist in 2020. Her career started as a footwear designer, where she had a small studio in Clerkenwell creating custom made ‘couture ’shoes to order. When that career ended she studied Contemporary Media practice with a focus on film making at the University of Westminster. She graduated in 1994 with a degree which was the first in the country to include a digital component. Her first job after university was helping to run a cinema on Portobello Road, which she did for just under a year. She was then invited to freelance at Iniva helping to create online digital projects with two commissioned artists in 1996. Rhapsodies in Black was the next project she worked on which was a co curated project with Iniva / The Hayward Gallery and David A. Bailey in 1997. She designed and built the website by teaching herself html code. After her contract at Iniva, she ended up having a 20 year plus career as a digital designer spanning various sectors from corporate to consumer; the last 10 years of that career she worked specifically in advertising.
Charmaine has a research based drawing practice which investigates the botanical legacies and herbal healing traditions of the Caribbean; and tracing that lineage through colonisation, back to its source in Africa. She draws herself as a conduit to relay stories of a collective experience. Her practice addresses themes including, ritual, tradition, ancestry, mythology and cosmology. Through the emancipatory narratives she constructs, she is seeking to enact a form of restitution. Notable upcoming exhibitions include In Praise of black errantry, a group show at Palazzo Pisani S. Marina, Venice during the 60th Biennial 2024; and her touring group show with the British Museum; Drawing attention: emerging artists in dialogue which tours until the autumn of 2024. Her work is held in international private and public collections.
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David Heron
David Heron is a Chartered Civil Engineer with a long-standing relationship to Liverpool Biennial. David leads the Structural Engineering team at Arup’s Liverpool office, mentoring junior Engineers and Technicians under formal training agreements. David would typically undertake design leadership and coordination roles to ensure successful project outcomes for Arup’s clients and draws on considerable construction industry experience. David is effective in identifying project opportunities and manging risk. David was notably influential in the successful Jaume Plensa Dream and Ugo Rondinone Liverpool Mountain sculptures, in addition to many striking and memorable temporary installations across the city
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Douglas Gilmore
Douglas was appointed Managing Director of the Museum of London Docklands in 2022, where he has devised and is delivering a three-year strategy to grow the audience in terms of visitors and diversity, develop the content and deliver a smarter operation. He is leading the museum in collaborative projects, with the GLA and the Heritage Trust of Antigua and Barbuda, to increase its national and international profile. Previous appointments include Commercial Director at the Ashmolean Museum and Trading Director for The National Gallery Company Ltd, after a career in retail that included international franchising, format development and operations. He has extensive non-executive experience within social enterprise, arts and educational charities and museums, having sat on boards at Bootstrap Charity, WAC Arts, Museum of the Home and Museum of London. He is a Member of the Association and alumnus of the National Youth Theatre.
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Hetain Patel
Hetain Patel is a London based visual artist and performance maker. His live performances, films, sculptures, and photographs have been shown worldwide from the Venice Biennale, Ullens Centre for Contemporary Art, Beijing and Tate Modern, London to Sadler’s Wells, where he is a New Wave Associate. Patel made his first dance company work for Candoco in 2014, which toured internationally for five years. His work exploring identity and freedom, using humour, choreography and text appears in multiple formats and media, intended to reach the widest possible audience. His voice and performance work online have been watched over 50 million times, which includes his TED talk of 2013 titled ‘Who Am I? Think Again’.
Patel is represented by Chatterjee &Lal, Mumbai, is a patron of QUAD, Derby, and sits on the Artist Council for a-n. He is the winner of the Film London Jarman Award, 2019, Kino Der Kunst Festival’s Best International Film 2020, and has been selected to participate in the British Art Show 9, 2012/22.
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Jonathan Falkingham
Jonathan Falkingham MBE is Creative Director and Co-Founder of award-winning property company UrbanSplash. Jonathan has been working in the North West since 1989, when he set up design practice shedkm. He founded Urban Splash in 1993 with Tom Bloxham and has lead big projects ranging from Fort Dunlop to his own award-winning house in Liverpool. Jonathan is committed to good architecture and is a Trustee of the RIBA.
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Rick Behari
Rick Behari is Director of Brand and Communications for the Roald Dahl Story Company, which owns the rights to the author’s beloved stories and is part of Netflix. He is responsible for communications, marketing and design for the company across publishing, theatre, content and consumer products. He has worked for some of the UK’s leading media brands including the BBC, Fremantle Media, and Sky. He is also a governor for the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.
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Scott Simoniti
Scott Simoniti is Head of Audiences at Factory International, where he oversees the teams responsible for marketing, brand, audience development, campaign strategies and memberships, as well as leading the digital teams covering content production, social media, product development, and publications. Additionally, he sits on the Curatorial team, contributing to the curatorial programming across Factory International.
Previously, Scott led the digital strategy at National Museums Liverpool, managing innovation across seven museums and galleries, including broadcasts, partnerships, website redevelopments, and immersive experiences. Born in Liverpool and raised in the North West, he is passionate about connecting people with culture through bold audience and digital strategies.
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Shauna McGowan
Shauna McGowan is a Belfast based Visual Artist, who specialises in Printed Textiles. Shauna is the co-founder of a Printed Textile Studio, Over & Over. She was awarded 1st place at the RDS National Craft Awards (Emerging Leatherwork Category) in both 2015 & 2016. Residency Awards include the Craft Hub EU Eco Printing Residency Award in 2022, Tyrone Guthrie Centre Award in 2021 alongside Ballinglen Arts Foundation & Cill Rialaig amongst others.Shauna is a Culture Development Officer (Visual Arts lead) for Belfast City Council’s Culture Team. She has over 15 years’ experience in Creative Learning Production & Engagement, working with diverse audiences, for a range of Arts & Heritage organisations to include National Museums Northern Ireland, Historic Royal Palaces, Armagh, Banbridge & Craigavon Borough Council & The Education Authority, amongst others. She is the former Chair of the Arts & Heritage Panel for Ards & North Down Borough Council, as well as a member of their Disability Arts Working Group. -
Simon Groom
Simon Groom is Director of Modern & Contemporary Art at the National Galleries of Scotland. Born in Liverpool, he graduated with a degree in English Literature from Edinburgh University, before spending time living and working in Japan and Italy, and then completed an MA and PhD in post war international art at the Courtauld Institute of Art. He was previously curator at Kettle’s Yard, Cambridge, and Head of Exhibitions at Tate Liverpool. He has a specialist interest in art from Asia, and has curated numerous exhibitions including The Real Thing, the first major museum presentation of contemporary art from China in the UK.
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Ying Tan
Ying Tan has extensive experience working in the arts and culture sector in the UK with a particular expertise focusing on contemporary art practices within East Asia. Currently, she is Senior Programmes Manager, Collections at the Art Fund, where she leads on museum acquisitions including the development of new funding streams and commissioning projects as well as managing areas of Art Fund’s diverse portfolio of programmes. Previously, she has been Head of Public Art (interim) at Futurecity, Curator at the British Council, a visiting lecturer for Christie’s Education on the MA Art of Asia course as well as the Curating the Contemporary MA course at Goldsmiths, University of London.