The Independents Biennial had a record breaking audience in 2025. The festival, which runs concurrently to Liverpool Biennial and provides a platform for the artists and creatives who live and work in Liverpool city-region, was supported by Arts Council England with funding and in-kind support from three of its six boroughs.
In 2025, Independents Biennial welcomed 169,292 visitors through gallery doors to see the work of 470+ artists in 72 venues. A total of £329,750 in cash funding was brought into the region’s arts economy: £166,294 (50.4%) of that paid artists directly.
72 exhibition and event venues. 103 total venues, including print and performance. This is more than any previous edition. 206 events. Of which, most were exhibitions with multiple-day runs. This is 50% higher than any previous edition.
The focus for the festival was to improve artist-led spaces. Via two call outs, there were 40 commissioned artists and 22 commissions. 28 artists supported by independent funding with Art in Liverpool CIC as partners. With an aim to boost arts activity, the Independents Biennial also supported events and exhibitions with space, materials and support. A strong affiliate programme enabled the festival to highlight and promote arts activity that exists across Liverpool City-Region.
470 artists actively engaged in the festival with direct contact with organisers and staff. Over 800 artists in total took part in the entire programme, including commissions and affiliate programming. Half of the artists are aged 25 – 44.
Festival activity ambitiously took place across each of the six boroughs of Liverpool City Region. In Wirral there were 22 venues and 244 artists. In St Helens there were two venues with 14 artists. In Halton there were two venues featuring four artists. In Sefton there were five venues with 17 artists. In Knowlsey there were four venues with 16 artists. In Liverpool there were 34 venues with 269 artists.
Support from local government was mixed. Some provided project and festival funding, others offered support in kind. There was no financial support from Liverpool Combined Authority or Liverpool City Council.
While artists unanimously reported feeling stronger in their practice after the festival than at the start, festival organisers recognise a disparity between the level of arts activity generated and the funding on offer. Artists are still expected to do more with less. Quite often, the artist is the only person not being paid for their time in meetings, exhibitions, and in evaluation. The Independents Biennial was able to offer support where possible, and was clear with artists when it would not be able to pay for core costs. In one instance, the festival stepped in with space and exhibition costs when a nationally funded arts organisation failed to deliver funding.
The value of artist working hours, at Living wage, is calculated at £871,953. The total cash invested in Merseyside’s artists for Independents Biennial was £329,750.
“The lack of alternative sources of funding is keenly felt. And the people paying for this are artists. They are desperate to ensure arts activity continues to happen, especially in boroughs where there is little activity taking place. It is independent artists keeping those fires burning or an arts sector. Yet too often we see a lack of financial support to pay artists for their time. As an Independent festival, we cannot plug every gap. As we work towards 2027, we want to highlight the need for local authorities and the Combined Authority to ensure that artists are paid for their time and their work. If the artist is the only one in the room not getting paid then you don’t have an arts scene”.
Read the full evaluation on the Independents Biennial website
