Works on show at the Liverpool Biennial 2010

Renowned for presenting art on the street and in disused venues, the sixth Liverpool Biennial is off to another flying start. Much of the work on display - by artists including the installation and video artist Rosa Barba, as well as Raymond Pettibon and Antti Laitinen - has been created especially for the event. The Walker Gallery is currently displaying the recent winner of the John Moores prize, The Spectrum of Jesus painted by Keith Coventry. 

The biennial's theme this year is: 'Touched' and has been interpreted literally by some artists such as Meschac Gaba, who has set up: Souvenir Palace - an unconventional souvenir shop whereby visitors are invited to bring items to swap with pieces from the installation, which are all painted with a flag motif.

Kris Martin presents Mandi XV - an upscale version of a medieval cruciform sword at The Black-E. This deeply contemplative work allows the viewer to be 'touched' on an emotional level. The bronze and stainless steel sword is seven metres in length, hanging suspended in mid-air. It has been described by Frank Loeffler, assistant curator of Touched, as 'a memento mori... [which] the viewer engages with equally through the senses, the intellect and the emotions.'

Artistic director of the biennial, Lewis Biggs, asks that we are 'bold and vulnerable' to allow ourselves as viewers to be 'touched' by the work that is on show.