Liverpool Biennial to show 42 artists' work in 'episodes'

Artist Marvin Gaye Chetwynd will create a film with young people in Liverpool

Forty-two artists from around the world will present work in "episodes" about Chinatown, Ancient Greece and monuments of the future at this year's Liverpool Biennial.

The "episodes", themes chosen by the organisers, were inspired by the city.

Turner Prize nominee Marvin Gaye Chetwynd and sculptor Betty Woodman will be among those involved.

The event, which opens in July, is the largest contemporary art festival in the UK and runs every two years.

Artists from countries including China, Iran, Palestine, Japan, Russia and Taiwan will display works alongside those from the UK, including Merseyside-born Mark Leckey.

Leckey will present Dream English Kid, a film inspired by events in his life from the 1970s to 1990s.

Leckey's work is based on his own life experiences from the 1970s to the 1990s

Explaining the "episodes", a spokesman for the event said the Chinatown episode acknowledged "Liverpool's heritage as Europe's oldest Chinese community in Europe", while Ancient Greece was "the inspiration behind some of the city's grandest buildings".

A Children's episode will be the Biennial's first commissioning programme for artists to work collaboratively with children and will see Chetwynd create a film produced by and starring young people from the city.

Woodman's ceramics have brought her international acclaim

While many of the works will be shown in traditional gallery settings, including a floor of Tate Liverpool being "transformed into Ancient Greece", some will be displayed in less conventional ways, with Woodman creating a large bronze fountain outside the Mersey Tunnel George's Dock ventilation tower.

The event's director Sally Tallant said Liverpool Biennial was "delighted to give artists the time and the opportunity to make new work and respond to the fabric of the city".

Tate Liverpool will devote an entire floor to the Ancient Greece episode

"We hope to create a long-lasting contribution to the cultural life of the city and make it a place where artists can live and thrive."

This year's festival runs from 9 July to 16 October 2016.