KeKeÇa

11th Liverpool Biennial | United Kingdom

SAHA provides support for KeKeÇa’s participation in the 11th Liverpool Biennial, held on 20 March – 6 June 2021. 

The 11th edition, The Stomach and the Port, explores notions of the body and ways of connecting with the world. 50 international artists and two collectives are taking part in this year’s Biennial. A dynamic programme of free exhibitions, performances, screenings and fringe events unfolds over the 12 weeks, shining a light on the city’s vibrant cultural scene. Liverpool Biennial: The Stomach and the Port is curated by Manuela Moscoso. 

KeKeÇa Body Percussion Ensemble will deliver a series of weekly interactions, including digital performances and virtual lessons with participating groups, throughout the duration of the Biennial. Acknowledging the body as a place of lived experience, audiences will be encouraged to participate using their own bodies as percussive instruments. Positioning sound as a form of knowledge, KeKeÇa’s practice engages bodies in the state of being present while the resulting sounds and rhythms invoke histories of movement and migration. Through pre-recorded and live streamed workshops, initially running throughout a network of schools in Liverpool as a key part of the Biennial’s learning programme, KeKeÇa will open-up the workshops to wider audiences, empowering intergenerational participants to connect and collaborate.

About KekeÇa

KeKeÇa Body Percussion Ensemble, consisting of Tugay Başar, Timuçin Gürer, Gökçe Gürçay, Ayşe Akarsu and Özgü Bulut, was established in 2002 in Istanbul, Turkey. They produce performances, training sessions and workshops for culture, art and education projects, emphasising interactivity and often involving audiences within their performances. Operating internationally, they explore the possibilities of ‘movement that creates sound’ through body percussion and body music. KeKeÇa have long-term collaborations and projects established with young people, hearing-impaired and deaf communities, disadvantaged groups and other communities, as well as teachers, artists and performers. Recent performances and projects include Ashmolean Museum/University of Oxford, UK (2019); Europa InTakt, Germany (2010-2020); 2nd Mediterranean Music Therapy Meeting (Italy, 2019), Istanbul Design Biennial, Turkey (2018); Erasmus+ Teaching Rhythm Through Body Percussion Project (2019-2020) and International Body Music Festivals (2008-2018).

About Liverpool Biennial

Founded in 1998, Liverpool Biennial presents the UK biennial of contemporary art. Taking place every two years across the city’s public spaces, galleries and historic buildings, the Biennial commissions artists to make and present work in the context of Liverpool. The festival is underpinned by a year-round programme of research, education, residencies, projects and commissions. Since its inception, Liverpool Biennial has commissioned over 340 new artworks and presented work by over 480 renowned artists from around the world. Amongst artists presented in previous editions are Doug Aitken, John Akomfrah, Mona Hatoum, Yayoi Kusama, Takashi Murakami, Yoko Ono, Ai Weiwei and Franz West.