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16th Lyon Biennale Explores Vulnerability Through Historical and Contemporary Works

festival-fair · 2026-04-20

Curators Sam Bardaouil and Till Fellrath have organized the 16th Lyon Biennale, titled 'Manifesto of Fragility,' focusing on vulnerability as a generative force for resistance. The biennial, founded in 1991, presents over 125 artists spanning 3000 years across four routes in Lyon, France. Artistic director Isabelle Bertolotti describes the project as encouraging a perspective on vulnerability empowered by the past and sensitive to the present. The exhibition structure unfolds in three concentric narratives. The first, 'The Many Lives and Deaths of Louise Brunet,' traces the story of a 19th-century silk worker involved in the 1834 Canut Revolt. The second, 'Beirut and the Golden Sixties,' revisits a tumultuous chapter of Lebanese modernism from 1943 to the 1975 civil war, featuring over 230 works by 34 artists. The third, 'A World of Endless Promise,' developed during the pandemic, examines bodily fragility. Key installations include Hans Op de Beeck's work at the former Fagor-Brandt appliance factory, Dana Awartani's 'Standing by the ruins of Aleppo' (2021), and Ugo Schiave's 'Grafted Memory System' (2022) at the Musée Guimet. Brazilian artist Valeska Soares presents a new version of her mirror installation 'Folly' at Place des Pavillons. The biennial runs until 30 May 2026.

Key facts

  • The 16th Lyon Biennale is curated by Sam Bardaouil and Till Fellrath.
  • The theme is 'Manifesto of Fragility,' exploring vulnerability as resistance.
  • It features over 125 artists and spans 3000 years of art history.
  • The exhibition is structured in three narrative movements across Lyon.
  • One narrative focuses on Louise Brunet, a participant in the 1834 Canut Revolt.
  • Another section examines Beirut's modernist period from 1943 to 1975.
  • A third movement, developed during the pandemic, addresses bodily limits.
  • The biennial occupies sites like the Usines Fagor and Musée Guimet.

Entities

Artists

Institutions

Locations

  • Lyon
  • France
  • Paris
  • Nantes
  • Vila de Btetir
  • Monte Líbano
  • Beirut
  • Lebanon
  • Aleppo
  • Syria
  • Jeddah
  • Arabia Saudita
  • Brazil
  • Maastricht
  • Holanda
  • Belo Horizonte
  • Brooklyn
  • EUA
  • São Paulo
  • Cassino Pampulha
  • Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
  • Ukraine
  • Armenia
  • Algeria
  • Parc de la Tête d'Or
  • Usines Fagor
  • Lugdunum
  • Musée Guimet
  • Berlin
  • Germany
  • New York
  • United States
  • Abu Dhabi
  • United Arab Emirates
  • Doha
  • Qatar
  • Mount Lebanon
  • Btetir
  • Basel
  • Switzerland
  • Bangladesh
  • Senegal
  • Fourvière
  • Naples
  • Italy

Sources

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