The 15th edition of the Lyon Biennale of the contemporary artopened its doors this Monday, September 15, 2019 on the unique and remarkable site of the former disued Fagor Factory which extends on more than 29000 m2, in full heart of Lyon.
Added to this huge industrial wasteland, the MAC Lyon dedicated exclusively to the event, but also poles throughout the metropolis enlarged to the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, including the Institute of Contemporary Art Villeurbanne.
This unusually field of experimentation inspired the team of curators of the Palais de Tokyo to whom curatoring was entrusted. Huge challenge successfully raised!
In concert, they designed this Biennale as a physical, visual and spiritual journey, to which they invited the visitor to take part.
To do this, Adelaide White, Daria de Beauvais, Yoann Gourmel, Matthew Lelievre, Vittoria Matarrese, Claire Moulene and Hugo Vitrani have traveled the world. http://www.palaisdetokyo.com
From these travels on the 5 continents of the globe was born the selection of about fifty artists. They were invited to work on the theme of landscape, the theme of the exhibition. “Landscapes” understood in a broad sense, in which visitors are invited to move around, discover things, observe, feel and even interact and enjoy the experience with the works in resonance with the issues and challenges of our society. “Biological, economic, technological and cosmogonic landscapes”. Curators Team wanted to focus on current artistic output, in a particular sensitivity to issues that affect contemporary and globalized Society.
More than fifty intergenerational artists from all around the world, over half of whom live in Europe and one third in France, while respecting a perfect male / female parity. From Bangkok, Buenos Aires, Brooklyn, Brisbane, Johannesburg, Kostërrc, Lyon, Mexico City, Moscow, Saint-Etienne, Oslo, Rome, Paris, Pittsburgh, Vienna, Zurich and many other cities, the artists had to realize their work “in situ” taking into account not only the history and the architecture of the places, but also the socio-economic context in which they are inscribed, in few words : site specific artworks. All of the economic stakeholders in the Auvergne Rhône-Alpes region, from the Puys chain to the foothills of the Alps, have been involved and are one of the markers of this Biennale. The richness of the local ecosystem (metallurgy, chemistry, textile, construction, automobile …), the traditional know-how and advanced technologies, offered multiple potentialities, to the artists. The protagonists of this fantastic place of creation were multiple.This raw fallow, (polluted soils, forgotten machines, usury of time ….), abandoned since 2015, became the tool, the ground, the inspiration, the way, the scene of/to these artists who are so different.
List of artists : http://www.labiennaledelyon.com
