The Liverpool Biennial, Britain's largest festival of contemporary visual art, is the latest victim of the COVID-19 crisis in this year's cultural calendar.

The highly regarded international arts festival, which was scheduled to run from July 11 to October 25, was called off and postponed to the summer of 2021, its organizer announced Thursday.

The Biennial organizer said that they had been closely monitoring the situation around the coronavirus over recent weeks, and eventually made the "incredibly difficult decision" to ensure "the wellbeing, health, and safety of staff, artists, partners, and guests" in light of ongoing developments.

It also said that postponing the event would enable the Biennial to deliver its program as planned and intended without being impacted so that its "core values and responsibilities to our artists, freelancers, educational partners, and audiences are not compromised."

The Biennial is famed for its immersive exhibitions to present the most avant-garde works of contemporary art by artists from around the world in locations across the British port city, including public spaces, historic sites, and the city's leading art venues.

"Together, we are facing a crisis: a slowly evolving tragedy that will require strength, adaptation and endurance to overcome. In these unprecedented times, our connections are amplified," said Fatos Ustek, director of Liverpool Biennial, in the statement.

The director stressed they believe that it is time for heightened care, reflection and solidarity.

"Culture and creativity are integral parts of our lives – that will not wither away."

Titled "The Stomach and the Port," the Biennial, in its 11th edition, will explore explores notions of the body, which is seen as a fluid organism that is continuously shaped by and shaping its environment.

Manuela Moscoso, curator of the upcoming edition, sent a message of solidarity and care for all those who are living and working through difficulties during the pandemic.

"It is through our body that we experience and connect with the world around us, and our understanding of these relationships is heightened in the face of a global pandemic," said Moscoso.

"Now more than ever we see that our lives are interdependent."