More than a biennial

In September of this year, Liverpool is set to host its 3rd Liverpool Biennial, the UK’s biggest international event celebrating Contemporary Art. This knowledge may surprise those who have not kept up with Liverpool’s progress lately. In spite of the city’s industrial heritage and rightful historic status, popular opinion is often negative. Who has not heard ‘Liverpool’ and thought: ‘chirpy scousers in shell suits with bubble perms, petty crime and a frankly unhealthy obsession with the beautiful game’. The excruciatingly tinny rendition of FERRY CROSS THE MERSEY played on the PA system as you…er…cross the Mersey might lead one to ponder the question, ‘was it wise to select Liverpool as the 2008 ‘European City of Culture’?