This year is monumental for Liverpool. In May, it hosted Eurovision on behalf of Ukraine and this month, the city鈥檚聽Biennial returns. uMoya: The Sacred Return of Lost Things considers the past, present and future of society, marking the event’s 25 year anniversary with an atmosphere of reflection. Galleries, historic spaces and hidden gems play host to an array of free events, exhibitions and new commissions that trace ancestral and indigenous knowledge. Cape Town-based independent curator Khanyisile Mbongwa brings more than 30 international artists together with local residents in the search for 鈥渁 return to self that aligns the celestial and ancestral, where one is not denied access to themselves.鈥 A collaborative sprit is threaded throughout the programme, identifying and reclaiming 鈥渁ll that is lost or stolen鈥 through 14 weeks of creative expression, celebration and repair. Here, we highlight 5 artists from the programme who enliven the city with new perspectives on identity, community and territory.
Belinda Kazeem-Kami艅ski |
Belinda Kazeem-Kami艅ski (b. 1980) partners with sound-artist Bassano Bonelli Bassano (b. 1983) and Black residents from the local area for a new installation. Video and sound collide in Respire (Liverpool) (2019), providing a space for expression, healing and learning. Waves of sound move between the individual and collective in this dynamic audio conversation, imagining a reality where performers create, share and transform spaces for breathing. Red balloons slowly inflate, obscuring participants’ faces.
Nicholas Galanin |
What methods can we use to seek joy amidst catastrophe? Nicholas Galanin (b. 1979) responds to this question in k鈥檌d茅in y茅i jeen茅 (鈥榶ou鈥檙e doing such a good job鈥) (2021). Sampled words of admiration, love and hope for the indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America are expressed in their native tongue: Ling铆t. The intimate track addresses false historical narratives and prejudice, bringing individuals from these communities together to share their ceremonies, cultures and knowledge.
Edgar Calel |
The first examples of ancestor worship can be traced back to the Zhou Dynasty (1046-256 BCE), when dedicated templates were built for rulers’ predecessors. Edgar Calel鈥檚 (b. 1987) Ru k鈥檕x k鈥檕b鈥檈l jun ojer etemab鈥檈l (The Echo of an Ancient Form of Knowledge) draws on his Mayan Kaqchikel heritage, sharing traditions of ritual and offerings in a multi-layered sculptural installation. Ripe bananas, grapes, leeks and pineapples balance on jagged stones, placed during a private ceremony prior to the exhibition opening.
David Aguacheiro |
Mozambique is home to some of the world鈥檚 largest untapped coal deposits. It is also set to become the largest exporter of liquefied natural gas, as overseen by . Mozambican artist David Aguacheiro (b. 1984) navigates the longterm impacts of extractivism. Poignant portraits are complex and layered, drawing connections between the loss of essential resources and people’s clothes, identity and traditions. The artist’s home country changes irrevocably as natural resources are lifted from the ground.
Lorin Sookool |
Woza Wenties! (2023) responds directly to Liverpool聽Biennial’s title by combining fluid movements to position the body as a site for change. For the new commission, which will be performed at the event’s opening weekend, Lorin Sookool (b. 1991) responds to the violet erasure of Blackness during her youth. Modernist systems of dance and improvisation transform the body in an act of decolonisation, responding directly to the artist’s personal experiences of attending school in South Africa.
| 10 June 鈥 17 September
Words: Saffron Ward
Image Credits:
1. Belinda Kazeem-Kami艅ski, Respire, (2019). Courtesy of the artist. 漏Belinda Kazeem-Kami艅ski
2. Belinda Kazeem – Kami艅ski, Unearthing. In Conversation, 2017. Courtesy of the artist and mumok 鈥 Museum moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig Wien. 漏 Belinda Kazeem – Kami艅ski
3. Nicholas Galanin, Never Forget, (2021). Courtesy the artist. Photograph by Lance Gerber
4. Edgar Calel, Ru k鈥 ox k鈥檕b鈥檈l jun ojer etemab鈥檈l (The Echo of an Acient Form of Knowledge), (2021). Courtesy of the artist and Proyectos. Ultravioleta. Photo by James Retief
5. David Aguacheiro, Plastic Life, (2020). Courtesy of the artist. Photograph by Tina Kr眉ger
6. Lorin Sookool, Project ongoing, (2022). Photography by Tanja Hall
