On this page, you may find our most updated programme with details for the 12th General Assembly of IBA in Liverpool, United Kingdom, which will take place from 2-4 July and has been organised in partnership with Liverpool Biennial and Liverpool John Moores University’s School of Art and Design during the 13th Liverpool Biennial and the 200th anniversary of LJMU’s School of Art and Design.
If you have not yet RSVPed, please do so using this link. We request all attendees to confirm their attendance no later than June 20th.
Do note that the information shown here is subject to change. Please be sure to check back often for any updates, which will be indicated on the date below.
IBA 12th General Assembly
“No Home But In Memory”
Survival and Renewal in Biennial Making
Last Updated: June 27, 2025
Tuesday, July 1, 2025 – Liverpool
- 16:00-18:00 IBA 23rd Board Meeting (Board Members Only) @ Liverpool Biennial Office
- Recommended Arrival for IBA Members
Wednesday, July 2, 2025 – Liverpool
- 09:00 Registration @ Liverpool John Moores University Student Life Building*
- Address: Copperas Hill, Liverpool L3 5AJ MAP
- 09:30-12:30 Welcome Words & Focus Groups
- 12:30-13:30 Lunch (Provided by Liverpool Biennial and Liverpool John Moores University)
Attendees are encouraged to explore the biennial and select tours of their choosing based on their preferences. The schedule for tours offered by LJMU and Liverpool Biennial is as follows.
- 14:00 LJMU’s Exhibition Research Lab Show with Christine Eyene: ‘What The Mountain Has Seen’
- Meeting Point: The John Lennon Art and Design Building
- Address: 2 Duckinfield St, Liverpool L3 5RD MAP
- 14:15-15:00 Liverpool Biennial Tour 1: Cathedral / Pine Court / Black-E
- Meeting Point: Cathedral
- Address: St James’ Mount, Liverpool L1 7AZ MAP
- 14:15-15:30 Liverpool Biennial Tour 2: Bluecoat / Open Eye / Tate
- Meeting Point: Bluecoat
- Address: School Lane, Liverpool, L1 3BX MAP
- 15:15-15:35 Liverpool Biennial Tour 3: FACT / Berry Street / Eurochemist
- Meeting Point: FACT
- Address: 88 Wood St, Liverpool L1 4DQ MAP
IBA members are requested to return to the LJMU Student Life Building by 4:00 PM to be on time for the General Assembly Formalities.
- 16:00-18:00 IBA General Assembly Formalities @ LJMU Student Life Building (IBA Members Only)
- Address: Copperas Hill, Liverpool L3 5AJ MAP
- 18:00-19:00 Networking Drinks @ LJMU Student Life Building
Thursday, July 3, 2025 – Liverpool
- 09:30 Registration for IBA Public Programme @ LJMU Student Life Building*
- Address: Copperas Hill, Liverpool L3 5AJ MAP
IBA 12th General Assembly Public Programme
10:00-10:30 Welcome Words
- Dr Aileen Jones – Pro Vice Chancellor, External Engagement and Partnerships
- Dr Joasia Krysa – On the 200th Anniversary of the LJMU School of Art
- Dr Sam Lackey – Welcome on Behalf of Liverpool Biennial and IBA
10:30-11:00
- Introduction from Marie-Anne McQuay to Contextualise Jennifer Lee Tsai’s Work
- Reading by Jennifer Lee Tsai
11:00-11:15 Break
11:15-13:00 Panel 1: Biennial Making: Ethics and Responsibilities in Times of Uncertainty
- Prof. Joasia Krysa, Dr Christine Eyene, Dr Kara Blackmore, Mara Ambrožič Verderber, PhD.c.
Building on IBA’s ongoing efforts to establish guidelines for biennials as fair and caring institutions rooted in their environments, this year’s first panel focuses on the ethics of curating and biennial-making. Framed within the context of “No Home But In Memory” and the current historical moment of global uncertainty, the discussion centres on the institutional responsibilities of biennials: their role within communities, their capacity to foster networks of solidarity, both local and international, and their commitment to dialogue. Set against the backdrop of BEDROCK, the 13th Liverpool Biennial, our panellists will draw on their own curatorial experiences and broader insights into the biennial field to explore these pressing questions.
13:00-14:00 Lunch (Provided by Liverpool John Moores University)
14:00-15:00 Hadassa Ngamba in Conversation with Carine Harmand
15:00-16:15 Panel 2: Biennials as Lived Archives: Memory, Place, Communing, Imagined Futures
- Marie-Anne McQuay, Dr Sevie Tsampalla, Dr Viktoria Bavykina
With this panel, we aim to explore the role biennials play in shaping a place, its communities, and its memories. Thinking of biennials as lived archives turns the idea of archive from a static repository of past experiences to a dynamic space of becoming, where experimental and experiential forms of knowledge come together to interrogate a territory and contemporary society at large. Central to this discussion is the role of imagination and how artistic and curatorial practices can open up new ways of seeing and relating to a place, challenging dominant narratives and proposing alternative modes of understanding. In this sense, biennials can become sites for rethinking the social and cultural fabric of a territory and fostering new forms of collective agency. We invite our panellists to reflect on how biennials carry the memories of a place, and how these memories—when activated through artistic and communal processes—not only shape our understanding of the past but also contribute to imagining more inclusive and interconnected futures.
16:15-16:30 Summations & Closing
- 17:30-19:00 Reception & Networking @ Hope Street Hotel
- Address: 40 Hope St, Liverpool L1 9DA MAP
- 19:00-22:00 Montpellier Contemporary Exhibition Opening @ Northern Lights, Cains Brewery Village (Recommended)
- Address: 5 Mann Street, Liverpool, L8 5AF MAP
Friday, July 4, 2025 – Liverpool & Manchester
- 09:00-11:00 Post-GA Board Meeting (Board Members Only) @ Liverpool Biennial Office
- 10:00-11:00 Guided Visit of the Montpellier Contemporary Exhibition (Recommended)
- Address: 5 Mann Street, Liverpool, L8 5AF MAP
- 11:00-13:00 Departure to Manchester (Recommended)
- Manchester International Festival 2025 (More Information Below)
- 11:15 Liverpool Biennial Tour 4: Walker / Central Library
- Meeting Point: Walker Art Gallery
- Address: William Brown Street, Liverpool, L3 8EL MAP
Saturday-Sunday, July 5-6, 2025 – Manchester
- Manchester International Festival 2025 International Weekend (More Information Below)
*Registration through IBA is requested for these events.
NOTE: The tours offered by Liverpool Biennial will not include visits to 20 Jordan Street and SEVENSTORE. Attendees wishing to experience all venues are recommended to find time outside of the provided schedule to visit these venues.
As part of our recommended programme, visitors wishing to visit the Montpellier Contemporary Exhibition may do so on any of the following days and times.
Address: 5 Mann Street, Liverpool, L8 5AF MAP
- 3rd July: 18:00-22:00 (Opening)
- 4th July: 13:00-18:00
- 5th July: 10:00-18:00
As part of our recommended programme, those wishing to visit Montpellier Contemporary may do so on any of the following days and times.
To make sure that you will be able to join us for any exclusive portions of our program, please be sure to RSVP so that we may ensure that you are included in the list of confirmed attendees and are accounted for.
Entering the United Kingdom
Attendees entering the United Kingdom may need to apply for an electronic travel authorisation (ETA). For more information, please refer to the documentation provided on GOV.UK.
Visiting Liverpool
Liverpool is easily accessible from multiple UK, European and international destinations. Liverpool John Lennon Airport is only nine miles from the city centre and offers a variety of inbound UK and European routes, with air travel from many major European cities. Manchester Airport is also close, with trains from Manchester to Liverpool running several times an hour, although it may be necessary to change in Manchester Piccadilly or Manchester Oxford Road train stations.
The mainline train station, Liverpool Lime Street, is ideally located in the heart of the city centre. A direct high-speed service runs from the centre of London in a little over two hours. Book directly with Avanti West Coast here.
Recommendations for hotels from Liverpool Biennial may be found on their website.
Preferential rates are available for Liverpool Biennial visitors for stays during the festival, subject to availability. We advise booking early to avoid disappointment.
You may find more practical information for getting around Liverpool here.
Liverpool Biennial and Liverpool John Moores University
For more information about Liverpool Biennial 2025, please visit their website: www.biennial.com
To learn more about Liverpool John Moores University’s Exhibition Research Lab, you may visit their university page or reach them directly through their website: www.exhibition-research-lab.co.uk
Manchester International Festival 2025
Those visiting Liverpool to attend the 12th General Assembly are encouraged to make a visit to Manchester International Festival 2025 to attend their International Weekend.
Do note that to attend MIF 25, you will need to register through their booking form on their website.
You may view the programme for the International Weekend event here.
Information about MIF 25’s accommodation partner hotels may be found here.
Additional details for other hotel discounts may be viewed here.
Other Recommendations
To make the most of your visit to Liverpool, visitors are encouraged to consider visiting other art events and institutions in and around the region.
Liverpool
LJMU Exhibition Research Lab
Address: John Lennon Art and Design Building, Duckinfield Street, L3 5RD
Cains Brewery Village
Montpellier Contemporary Exhibition
Address: Northern Lights 5 Mann Street, L8 5AF
Liverpool Independents Biennial
Website: independentsbiennial.com
Address: In venues across Liverpool
Manchester
The Whitworth
Website: www.whitworth.manchester.ac.uk
Address: Oxford Rd, Manchester M15 6ER
Current Exhibitions:
- Małgorzata Mirga-Tas
- Turner: In Light and Shade
- Santiago Yahuarcani: The Beginning of Knowledge (Opening 4th July)
Manchester Art Gallery
Website: https://manchesterartgallery.org/
Address: Mosley Street, M2 3JL
Bradford
UK City of Culture 2025
Website: bradford2025.co.uk
Trains from Liverpool are approximately 2 hours and run regularly through Manchester Victoria, Leeds or Huddersfield.
Trains from Manchester are approximately 1 hour and run regularly from Manchester Victoria.
Wakefield
Hepworth Wakefield
Website: hepworthwakefield.org
Address: Gallery Walk, Wakefield WF1 5AW
Trains from Liverpool Lime Street to Wakefield Kirkgate run twice an hour through Leeds or Huddersfield and take 1.5-2 hours.
Trains from Manchester Piccadilly to Wakefield Kirkgate run hourly and take approximately 1 hour.
Currently on Show:
- Helen Chadwick: Life Pleasures
- Caroline Walker: Mothering
Yorkshire Sculpture Park
Website: ysp.org.uk
Address: West Bretton, Wakefield WF4 4LG
20-minute drive from Hepworth Wakefield or can be reached by bus (#96 or X1 Holmfirth Explorer) from Wakefield.
- Exhibitions of works by William Kentridge, Laura Ellen Bacon, Felicity Aylieff, Russell Wilson and Tony Wade, alongside the outdoor sculptures.
- More information may be viewed here.
Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at info@biennialassociation.org. We look forward to seeing you in Liverpool!
