Urban myths and the bittersweet success of regeneration are strong focal points in the exhibition for Liverpool Biennial 2006.

Inspired by Liverpool's people, history and built environment, the exhibition promises 35 new commissions, half of which will be sited in the public realm, by some of the most exciting artists from across the world. The personality of the exhibition will be as lively, diverse and quick-witted as Liverpool itself.

International 06 responds to the personal readings of Liverpool made by consultant curators Gerardo Mosquera from Cuba and Manray Hsu from Taiwan. Both see art channelling energy into and within the city. Manray Hsu makes use of metaphors drawn from the Internet and from traditional Chinese medicine, while Gerardo Mosquera's 'reverse colonialism' returns the flow of energy along the city's historic geographic vectors to explore Liverpool here and now. The show's route through the city punctuates the built environment.

About the curators

Gerardo Mosquera

When Havana-based curator Gerardo Mosquera visited Liverpool, he was struck by the highly visible contrasts between the city’s wealthy past as a major port of the British Empire, and its present as a city devastated by post-war economic decline and now in the throes of regeneration. Mosquera’s vision for International 06 was to reverse the colonial journey by bringing to Liverpool artists from the Americas, Africa and Asia. In particular, he chose artists who would respond to and work with the city – its people, its buildings, even its buses. These temporary ‘colonisers’ will bring their own perspectives to the city, creating humanly engaging art that throws new light on contemporary Liverpool.

Manray Hsu

Taiwanese curator Manray Hsu brings to International 06 a perspective that sets the postmodern world of media and advertising alongside the ancient practice of traditional Chinese medicine. Focusing on the web of signs – in advertising, fashion, music, technology, social regulation –  that dominates contemporary globalised societies, Hsu has invited artists to create new signs across the surfaces of Liverpool, confronting both residents and visitors with new visual prompts and challenges. At the same time, he works with the traditional Chinese notion of chi, the flow of energy through spaces, placing the artworks according to his concept of archipuncture (acupuncture for the built environment) to address the blocks and imbalances within the city and enable its energy to flow creatively.

International 06 partners include Tate Liverpool, Bluecoat Arts Centre, FACT (Foundation for Art & Creative Technology), and Open Eye Gallery.