Connivence Biennial in Lyon Blurs Boundaries Between Art and Reality

The 6th Lyon Biennial, titled 'Connivence,' ran from June 23 to September 1, 2001, across three venues: Musée d'art contemporain, Les Subsistances, and the Orangerie du parc de la Tête d'or. Despite a reduced budget and hasty preparation, the exhibition curated by seven lesser-known critics—Anne Bertrand, Jean-Marc Chapoulie, Yvane Chapuis, Laurence Dreyfus, Klaus Hersche, Richard Robert, and Guy Walter—offered a fresh take on the porous boundaries between art forms and reality. The show featured works by Nam June Paik, John Cage, Merce Cunningham, Sharon Lockhart, Aernout Mik, Gillian Wearing, Jean-Luc Delahaye, Jérôme Brézillon, Seiichi Furuya, Jean-Luc Mylayne, Larry Gianettino, Jean-Louis Garnell, Thomas Demand, Kolkoz, Pierre Huyghe, and Tobias Bernstrup. A highlight was Jean-Marc Chapoulie's selection of ambiguous films, including works by Jean Nolle, François Tosquelles, and an anonymous French soldier in Indochina. The biennial questioned the distinction between the real and the fabricated, reflecting a growing 'desire for art' from all horizons.