Uniquely among the world’s biennials, Liverpool specifically commissioned 100% of the artworks shown in International 04. Leading artists from around the world were invited to explore the city as a context for the show, and then developed their works through dynamic relationships with the organisations and communities in which they were set. Researchers Sabine Breitweiser (Vienna), Yu Yeon Kim (New York), Cuauhtémoc Medina (Mexico City) and Apinan Poshyananda (Bangkok), selected artists whose practice has an affinity for the culture of Liverpool. For 2004, these included Yoko Ono, Takashi Murakami, Yang Fudong, Yael Bartana, Esko Mannikko and Inigo Manglano-Ovalle. A collaboration between Liverpool Biennial and Tate Liverpool, Bluecoat, Foundation for Art and Creative Technology (FACT) and Open Eye Gallery, International 04 also included works shown in unexpected public spaces throughout the city.