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16th Lyon Biennale: manifesto of fragility at macLyon, LUGDUNUM, Gadagne Museums, URDLA Villeurbannne, Tête d’Or park and park pavilion, and Place des Pavillons

December 21, 2022

Artists: Mohamad Abdouni, Gabriel Abrantes, Amina Agueznay, Remie Akl, Julio Anaya Cabanding, Giulia Andreani, Mali Arun, Dana Awartani, Clemens Behr, Nina Beier, Ailbhe Ní Bhriain, Lucile Boiron, Phoebe Boswell, Sarah Brahim, Leyla Cárdenas, Julian Charrière, Jean Claracq, Clément Cogitore, Nicolas Daubanes, Jose Dávila, Buck Ellison, Eva Fàbregas, Mohammed Al Faraj, Philipp Fleischmann, Léo Fourdrinier, Chafa Ghaddar, Olivier Goethals, Pedro Gómez-Egaña, Marta Górnicka, Nicki Green, Joana Hadjitomas & Khalil Joreige, Klára Hosnedlová, Nadia Kaabi-Linke, Néstor Jiménez, Annika Kahrs, Özgür Kar, Moham- med Kazem, kennedy+swan, Michelle & Noel Keserwany, Tarik Kiswanson, Nadine Labaki and Khaled Mouzanar, Hashel Al Lamki, Richard Learoyd, Hannah Levy, Randa Maroufi, Lucy McRae, Jesse Mockrin, Filwa Nazer, Eva Nielsen, Toyin Ojih Odu- tola, Hans Op de Beeck, Organon Art Cie, Daniel Otero Torres, Abdullah Al Othman, Daniel De Paula, Aurélie Pétrel, Sarah del Pino, Joanna Piotrowska, Christina Quarles, Omar Rajeh and Mia Habis, Erin M. Riley, Sara Sadik, Cemile Sahin, Ezster Salamon with the Jeune Ballet of the CNSMD Lyon (under the artistic direction of Kylie Walters), Ugo Schiavi, Markus Schinwald, Sylvie Selig, Seher Shah, Jeremy Shaw, Muhannad Shono, Taryn Simon, Kim Simonsson, Valeska Soares, Studio Safar, Young-jun Tak, Lucia Tallova, Philipp Timischl, Salman Toor, Evita Vasiljeva, Puck Verkade, WangShui, Munem Wasif, James Webb, Hannah Weinberger, Raed Yassin, Zhang Ruyi, Zhang Yunyao

Exhibition title: 16th Lyon Biennale manifesto of fragility

Curated by: Sam Bardaouil and Till Fellrath

Venue: Lyon Biennale, macLyon, LUGDUNUM, Gadagne Museums, URDLA Villeurbannne, Tête d’Or park, park pavilion, Place des Pavillons, Lyon, France

Date: September 14 – December 31, 2022

Photography: all images copyright and courtesy of the artists and ©Lyon Biennale

Curated by Sam Bardaouil and Till Fellrath, the 16th Lyon Biennale manifesto of fragility proceeds with the announcement of its curatorial framework, participating artists and institutional partners that will come together to realize the Biennale’s multifaceted exhibitions and programs.

CURATORIAL FRAMEWORK

Seeking opportunities for dialogue across historical, geographical and socio-political distances, manifesto of fragility will facilitate innovative, multidirectional possibilities for creative cooperation. These collaborative processes, which will already begin to unfold in the months leading up to the Biennale’s September 2022 opening in Lyon, will yield 50 new artistic commissions and productions within a decentralized program that will materialize across numerous sites. Many works will be adapted to the unique architectural contexts in which they will be shown, including several large-scale immersive installations. The Biennale will expand beyond its customary venues in Lyon into locations throughout the city in order to welcome the participation of the broadest possible public.

manifesto of fragility is structured along two distinct axes that function as complimentary conduits for the Biennale’s consideration of fragility: A horizontal, geographical line carries the contributions of 87 contemporary artists from 39 countries engaging with the topic of fragility in a wide range of artistic practices. A vertical, temporal line will deliver more than 100 historical artworks and objects spanning two millennia on loan from several diverse collections in Lyon and abroad. The Biennale posits a point of intersection between the two axes to initiate a focused exploration of fragility within the context of the dazzling yet tumultuous 1960s era of Beirut’s so-called Golden Age, featuring 230 artworks by 34 artists and more than 300 archival documents from nearly 40 collections worldwide. This section of the biennale acquires added poignance in Lyon, given the city’s historical entanglements with Beirut centred around the 19th century silk trade, and the establishment of the French Mandate in 1920.

ARTISTS

The artists taking part in the 16th Lyon Biennale bring diverse approaches to the focal theme of fragility that represent varied understandings of our current state of global uncertainty. The Biennale appeals to a broad coalition of international artists to share in building a nuanced patchwork of narratives illuminating moments of resilience in the face of social, political and environmental upheaval The artists gathered around the Biennale embody various faces of fragility, some in the issues they tackle, and others in the materials they use. What their works have in common is the potential to inform our thinking about generative paths of resistance.

manifesto of fragility emphasizes the importance of individual encounters in gaining insight into the circumstances that shape our contemporary realities. Many of the artists share an awareness of the architectural and historical specificities of their surroundings. This sensitivity allows for rigorous points of contact between coexisting identities, communities and histories that can activate dynamic societal changes. Seeking collaborative actions that can bridge divides and build communal responses to global conditions, the 16th Lyon Biennale engages an expansive network of artists practicing in cities across the globe, including: Abu Dhabi, Amsterdam, Basel, Beirut, Berlin, Bogota, Brussels, Cape Town, Casablanca, Copenhagen, Cork, Dhaka, Dubai, Geneva, Ghent, Guadalajara, Helsinki, Jeddah, Lagos, Lisbon, London, Los Angeles, Lyon, Madrid, Marrakesh, Marseille, New York, Oslo, Paris, Riga, Riyadh, San Francisco, São Paulo, Seoul, Shanghai, Stockholm, Strasbourg, Toulon, Vienna and Warsaw.

INSTITUTIONAL PARTNERS

The 16th Lyon Biennale’s partnerships will create opportunities for multidimensional perspectives on institutional practices. Broadening the conversation to include a heterogeneous mix of institutions that often operate in similar yet distinct fields, the Biennale addresses a number of pressing issues related to the role of cultural institutions in an increasingly fragile world. By connecting institutions that act as custodians of artworks from different periods and geographies, the Biennale triggers imaginative resonances between the works of the participating contemporary artists and historical works, objects and artifacts. With expanded points of reference and additional resources for the creation of new works, these co-operations will engender more intricately and tightly interwoven networks of communication and support. This will benefit artists in their search for new, expansive terrains of inquiry.

The 16th Lyon Biennale will act as a nexus for the diverse publics of its different institutional partners. By appealing to a wide range of cultural interests, the Biennale will bring various audiences into dialogue with artistic positions that they might be less acquainted with. Additionally, the Biennale’s off-site venues embody unique architectural styles from different eras in Lyon’s history, creating compelling synchronicities between the artworks on display and the architectural and historical contexts. These ancillary sites generate dynamic possibilities for new encounters.

Through a combination of global, historical and contemporary perspectives, the assembled artists, institutions, and publics join the 16th Lyon Biennale to propose a manifesto of fragility that repositions vulnerability at the heart of a comprehensive global panorama of human perseverance.

Beirut and the Golden Sixties, Multimedia installation by Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige, exhibition view, 2022, Gropius Bau © Foto: Luca Girardini

Beirut and the Golden Sixties. View of the exhibition. In the foreground: Simone Baltaxé Martayan, The workers, ca. 1950-59. Sursock Museum. Right: 3 works by Georges Doche. Courtesy The Saade Family / The\nGeorges Doche Collection. Exhibition organized in cooperation with the Gropius Bau, Berlin. 16th Lyon Biennial of Contemporary Art, Musée d’ art contemporain – macLYON © Blaise Adilon

View of the exhibition. The many lives and deaths of Louise Brunet. Foreground: Peter Hujar, Nicolas Abdallah Moufarrege, Paris, Courtesy of Peter Hujar Archive LLC and Pace Gallery, New York. Background: Hannah Levy, Untitled, Courtesy of the artist and mother’s tankstation Dublin / London. 16th Lyon Biennial of Contemporary Art, Musée d” art contemporain – macLYON © Adagp, Paris, 2022. Photo: Blaise Adilon Comments: ‘Peter Hujar is a member of the ADAGP, please contact the ADAGP to distribute this work in respect of copyright

Beirut and the Golden Sixties. View of the exhibition. Foreground: Nicolas Moufarrege, The Blood of the Phoenix, 1975. Courtesy of N3M Holdings, LLC. Exhibition organized in cooperation with the Gropius Bau, Berlin. 16th Lyon Biennial of Contemporary Art, Musée d’ art contemporain -macLYON © Blaise Adilon

Beirut and the Golden Sixties, Installation view, 2022, Gropius Bau © Foto: Luca Girardini’

Exhibition view: The many lives and deaths of Louise Brunet. Peter Hujar, Nicolas Abdallah Moufarrege, Paris, 1980. Courtesy of Peter Hujar Archive LLC and Pace Gallery, New York . 16th Lyon Biennial of Contemporary Art, Musée d’art contemporain – macLYON © Adagp, Paris, 2022. Photo : Blaise Adilon

The many lives and deaths of Louise Brunet, exhibition view. 16th Lyon Biennial of Contemporary Art, Museum of Contemporary Art – macLYON © Blaise Adilon

View of the exhibition. The many lives and deaths of Louise Brunet. Left: Richard Learoyd, Triptych Octopus, 2007. Courtesy of Pace Gallery and Fraenkel Gallery. Right: Rafael França, Prelúdio de uma morte anunciada / Prelude to an Announced Death, 1991. Courtesy of Galeria Jaqueline Martins. Courtesy of the artists. 16th Lyon Biennial of Contemporary Art, Musée d’art contemporain – macLYON © Blaise Adilon

Chafa Ghaddar, Exhausted Forms, 2022, Mixed media on canvas (stucco, acrylic, pigments, varnish and glue on primed linen canvas). Commissioned for the 16th edition of the Biennale de Lyon, Lugdunum, Musée et théâtres romains. Courtesy of the artist and Tashkeel. With the support of the Ministry of Culture and Youth of the United Arab Emirates, the Department of Culture and Tourism of Abu Dhabi, Naïla Kettaneh Kunigk – Galerie Tanit, Sarah Chalabi © Blaise Adilon

Chafa Ghaddar, Traces of Wetness, 2022, Mixed media on canvas (stucco, acrylic, pigments, varnish and glue on primed linen canvas). Commissioned for the 16th edition of the Biennale de Lyon, Lugdunum, Musée et théâtres romains. Courtesy of the artist and Tashkeel. With the support of the Ministry of Culture and Youth of the United Arab Emirates, the Department of Culture and Tourism of Abu Dhabi, Naïla Kettaneh Kunigk – Galerie Tanit, Sarah Chalabi © Blaise Adilon

Filwa Nazer, From the series Five Women, A.Q, L.R, N.T, 2021, Courtesy of the artist and Hafez Gallery. With the support of the Diriyah Biennale Foundation. 16th Lyon Biennial of Contemporary Art, Lugdunum, Museum and Roman Theaters ©Amande Dionne

Kim Simonsson, Fashionable Mossgirl, 2022. Ceramic, nylon fiber, epoxy resin, rope, artificial plants, feathers, toys, electronic components. 16th Lyon Biennial of Contemporary Art. Lugdunum, Museum and Roman theaters. Courtesy of the artist. With the support of Frame Contemporary Art Finland © Amande Dionne

Chafa Ghaddar, Collapsing hues, 2022, Mixed media on canvas (stucco, acrylic, pigments, varnish and glue on primed linen canvas). Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Tanit. With the support of the Ministry of Culture and Youth of the United Arab Emirates, the Department of Culture and Tourism of Abu Dhabi, Naïla Kettaneh Kunigk – Galerie Tanit, Sarah Chalabi. 16th Biennial of Contemporary Art of Lyon, Musée d’ histoire de Lyon – Gadagne © Amande Dionne

James Webb, A Series of Personal Questions Addressed to a Formerly Used Urn in the Hôtel-Dieu, 2022. Sound installation, speaker, audio. Artist : James Webb, Voice : Sylvaine Strike. Antoine Morand, Jacques Besson, Vase à thériaque, 1633, pewter, copper, bronze, Collection of the Musée des Hospices Civils de Lyon. Commissioned for the 16th edition of the Biennale de Lyon, URDLA, Villeurbanne. Courtesy of the artist, Galerie Imane Farès and blank projects. With the kind collaboration of the Musée des Hospices Civils de Lyon © Blaise Adilon

View of the exhibition. Foreground: Phoebe Boswell, detail of the series of six lithographic self-portraits. With the support of Fluxus Art Projects and URDLA. Background: Özgür Kar, Death with Clarinet, 2021. Courtesy of the artist and Emalin. With the support of Mondriaan Fonds, the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in France. 16th edition of the Biennale de Lyon, URDLA Villeurbanne © Blaise Adilon

Phoebe Boswell, detail of the series of six lithographic self-portraits. Lithography. Commissioned for the 16th edition of the Biennale de Lyon, URDLA Villeurbanne. With the support of Fluxus Art Projects and URDLA © Blaise Adilon

Phoebe Boswell, dwelling, 2022, 4 channel video installation, sound, loops of 1’57” / 1’22” / 1’30” / 8’29”. Commissioned for the 16th edition of the Biennale de Lyon, Usines Fagor. Courtesy of the artist. With the support of Fluxus Art Projects © Blaise Adilon

Overall view of one of the rooms of URDLA with the works: engravings by Sylvie Selig and Death with clarinet, 2021 by Özgür Kar . 16th Lyon Biennial of Contemporary Art, URDLA. Courtesy of the artists © Blaise Adilon

Özgür Kar, Death with the Little Bell, 2021. 4K video with sound 15’00”, looped, custom flightcase, multimedia player, speaker. 16th Lyon Biennial of Contemporary Art, URDLA. Courtesy of the artist and Emalin. With the support of Mondriaan Fonds, the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in France © Blaise Adilon

Nina Beier, Kingdom, 2022, Installation in situ composed of 19 synthetic clothes and various natural fibers, sound, light. With the support of Filature Arpin, Lamas and Alpacas of Lafayette and Touroparc and Goethe-Institut Lyon, Danish Arts Foundation. Commissioned for the 16th edition of the Biennale de Lyon, Parc de la Tête d’ Or © Lucie Colleu

Aurélie Pétrel, Minuit chez Roland [31 December], 2022, 9 glass plates (classic glass, Mirastar glass, Picture-It photographic glass). Commissioned for the 16th edition of the Biennale de Lyon, Parc LPA-République. Courtesy of the artist and Ceysson & Bénétière. With the support of LPA – Lyon Parc Auto, Artproject, Ceysson & Benetière © Adagp, Paris, 2022. Photo : Blandine Soulage

Valeska Soares, Folly, 2015. Mirrors, video-projection, sound. For the 16th Biennale de Lyon, the artist imagines a new version of her immersive installation Folly, Place des Pavillons. Courtesy of Valeska Soares studio. With the support of Fortes d’Aloia & Gabriel Gallery, Alexander Gray Associates © Blaise Adilon