An art installation at Greenland Street during Liverpool Biennial 2007. © Richard Moss / 24 Hour Museum

The Liverpool Biennial of contemporary art celebrates its tenth anniversary in September 2008 during Liverpool’s Capital of Culture Year and preparations are already underway to make it even more impressive in scale and ambition than its predecessors.

MADE UP has been chosen as the title of the 2008 Biennial’s central international art exhibition and is an exploration of the power of the artistic imagination.

It will include narrative, fantasy, myths, lies, prophesies, subversion, spectacle, and the ambiguous territory between the real and unreal. The emotional charge powering the artistic imagination will be the keynote to the exhibition’s exploration of ‘making things up’.

Organisers promise ambitious and challenging new artworks by leading international artists for gallery and public spaces – continuing the Biennial’s tradition of realising exhibitions of a scale and ambition not to be found elsewhere in the UK

40 new commissions by leading and emerging international artists will be presented for MADE UP across multiple sites in Tate Liverpool, The Bluecoat, FACT (Foundation for Art and Creative Technology) and Open Eye. Half the exhibition will appear in public spaces across the city.

John Moores winner 2006, Martin Greenland, poses for the press with jurist Sir Peter Blake. © Richard Moss / 24 Hour Museum

Other lead programmes in the 2008 Biennial will include the John Moores 25 Exhibition of Contemporary Painting and Bloomberg New Contemporaries 2008, whilst a further series of major new public art commissions will also appear in the city as part of the programme for European Capital of Culture 2008.

The Independents Biennial also promises to be bigger in 2008 with Greenland Street and A Foundation playing a major role in presenting a myriad programme of exhibitions and events.

See www.biennial.com for more information.