One of the world's leading contemporary art biennials exploring the evolving relationships between humans and their environment through innovative exhibitions across multiple venues in France's cultural heartland.
The Lyon Biennale of Contemporary Art stands as one of the world's leading contemporary art events and France's premier artistic platform. Established in 1991, it has evolved into a cultural powerhouse that transforms the historic city of Lyon into a vibrant showcase of cutting-edge artistic expression every two years.
Emerging from a project initiated by Lyon's Museum of Contemporary Art, the Biennale has a distinctive organizational model where an Artistic Director builds the event's identity over time, collaborating with guest curators to develop thematic exhibitions that respond to pressing contemporary issues. This curatorial approach ensures both artistic renewal and long-term connection with the local territory.
The Biennale occupies multiple venues throughout Lyon, from industrial heritage sites to historic museums, creating a cultural journey that invites visitors to explore both contemporary art and the city's rich architectural landscape. With each edition attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the world, the Lyon Biennale has established itself as a major event on the international art calendar and a catalyst for cultural dialogue and innovation.
The Lyon Biennale traces its origins to 1984 when Thierry Raspail, the founding director of Lyon's Museum of Contemporary Art, initiated a series of ambitious exhibition projects. From 1984 to 1988, the groundwork was laid through an annual event called "October of the Arts," which culminated in an exhibition titled "Colour Alone: The Experience of Monochrome." These initial explorations set the stage for what would become one of the world's most significant contemporary art biennials.
Following the closure of the Paris Biennale in 1985, there was an opportunity to establish a major contemporary art event outside the French capital. The inaugural Lyon Biennale launched in 1991, marking a significant milestone in the decentralization of France's cultural landscape. From the beginning, the event was structured around a unique model where an Artistic Director would provide continuity while collaborating with different curators for each edition, creating what Jean-Hubert Martin described as "a clever way of having themes addressed through the personalities of others."
Over the decades, the Biennale has expanded its scope and ambition, occupying an increasingly diverse range of venues throughout Lyon. What began as a primarily museum-based exhibition has evolved to encompass industrial spaces, historical sites, and public areas, creating a more immersive and city-wide experience. This evolution reflects both the changing nature of contemporary art practices and the Biennale's commitment to engaging with Lyon's urban fabric and architectural heritage.
Throughout its history, the Lyon Biennale has maintained a dual focus: showcasing the most innovative developments in global contemporary art while also nurturing connections with the local cultural ecosystem. This balanced approach has enabled the event to build a distinctive identity within the international biennial circuit, recognized for both its curatorial rigor and its deep engagement with its host city.
"October of the Arts" annual events establish foundation for future Biennale
Inaugural edition of the Lyon Biennale launches as France's premier contemporary art event
Expansion into multiple venues across the city, including industrial and historical sites
Introduction of the "Résonance" program, extending the Biennale's reach throughout the region
Isabelle Bertolotti becomes Director, bringing new vision to the Biennale's development
"Manifesto of Fragility" edition attracts nearly 280,000 visitors, cementing the event's international significance
The Lyon Biennale distinguishes itself through its thematic approach to exhibition-making, with each edition exploring a specific conceptual territory that responds to contemporary cultural, social, and political conditions. This curatorial method creates a focused framework for artistic exploration while allowing for diverse interpretations and expressions.
"Les voix des fleuves, Crossing the water" (2024) - The 17th edition explores the waxing and waning relationships between humans and their environment, with particular emphasis on the significance of rivers. Taking inspiration from Lyon's geographic position at the confluence of the Rhône and Saône rivers, this theme examines how waterways shape human settlement, movement, commerce, and cultural exchange.
"Manifesto of Fragility" (2022) - Curated by Sam Bardaouil and Till Fellrath, this edition positioned fragility at the heart of a generative form of resistance. The exhibition created intersecting historical and geographical axes, bringing together over 200 artists and historical artifacts spanning two millennia to explore vulnerability as a foundation for community and resilience.
"Là où les eaux se mêlent" (Where Water Comes Together with Other Water) (2019) - Taking its title from a Raymond Carver poem, this edition reflected on Lyon's location at the confluence of two rivers. The exhibition examined how different artistic practices, like converging waters, can create new forms and meanings through collaboration and exchange.
Throughout its various iterations, the Lyon Biennale has consistently engaged with several recurring themes and approaches:
This thematic consistency, combined with curatorial diversity, has allowed the Lyon Biennale to develop a distinctive identity within the international biennial landscape. By balancing conceptual coherence with artistic freedom, the event creates a platform where challenging ideas can be explored through multiple perspectives and approaches.
One of the most distinctive aspects of the Lyon Biennale is its use of multiple venues throughout the city, creating a cultural itinerary that invites visitors to explore both contemporary art and Lyon's rich architectural heritage. This distributed model transforms the entire city into an exhibition space, highlighting the dialogue between artistic innovation and historical context.
The Biennale typically occupies a diverse range of spaces, including:
Founded in 1984, Lyon's Museum of Contemporary Art serves as the institutional anchor of the Biennale, presenting major installations and exhibitions in its modernist building at Cité Internationale.
Industrial buildings that were once train maintenance facilities, now repurposed as a major exhibition space that showcases large-scale installations and projects responding to the site's industrial heritage.
A former hospital and historic monument dating back centuries, now transformed into a cultural destination that hosts Biennale exhibitions in its majestic heritage spaces.
Located on Fourvière hill, this archaeological site and museum creates a dramatic setting for contemporary art that engages with ancient history and classical traditions.
Beyond the official exhibition venues, the Biennale extends its reach through the "Résonance" program, which encompasses partner exhibitions, performances, and events throughout the Lyon metropolitan area and the broader Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. This initiative creates connections between the international Biennale and the local art ecosystem, including galleries, cultural institutions, artist-run spaces, and experimental venues.
The variety of spaces activated by the Biennale allows for diverse artistic approaches and visitor experiences. From the white cube environments of contemporary art museums to the raw industrial atmospheres of former factories, from the sacred spaces of religious buildings to the public arena of city streets and squares, these multiple contexts enrich the presentation of works and create a multifaceted dialogue between art, architecture, and urban space.
Throughout its history, the Lyon Biennale has presented numerous groundbreaking exhibitions that have left lasting impressions on both the art world and the general public. These presentations reflect the event's commitment to artistic innovation, conceptual depth, and engagement with contemporary issues.
An exhibition highlighting the vibrant art scene of Beirut from 1958 to 1975, featuring works by 34 artists and hundreds of archival documents that explored cultural exchange between France and Lebanon.
The conversion of the massive Fagor household appliance factory into a contemporary art venue, hosting immersive installations that responded to the site's industrial history and scale.
Curated by Emma Lavigne, this edition explored the concept of the "modern" through immersive, sensory environments that blurred boundaries between visual art, sound, architecture, and performance.
An ongoing initiative that extends the Biennale beyond traditional art venues into neighborhoods and public spaces, involving residents in collaborative projects with international artists.
These exhibitions exemplify the Lyon Biennale's approach to contemporary art presentation: conceptually rigorous, visually compelling, and deeply engaged with both global artistic developments and local contexts. By balancing spectacular visual experiences with substantial intellectual content, the Biennale creates exhibitions that appeal to diverse audiences while advancing critical discourse in the field.
The Lyon Biennale employs a distinctive curatorial model that sets it apart from many other international biennials. Rather than appointing a different artistic director for each edition, Lyon maintains continuity through a stable directorial position while inviting guest curators to develop specific exhibitions within an overarching conceptual framework.
The Biennale's curatorial structure typically involves:
This balanced approach allows the Biennale to maintain a consistent institutional identity while regularly refreshing its artistic vision through collaboration with diverse curatorial voices.
Over the years, the Lyon Biennale has collaborated with many significant curatorial figures, including:
Current Director of the Lyon Biennale and the Museum of Contemporary Art Lyon (macLYON), bringing expertise in both institutional management and contemporary art curation.
Curator of the 17th edition, Director of the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts de Paris, known for her interdisciplinary approach to contemporary art.
Co-curators of the 16th edition "Manifesto of Fragility," bringing their experience in cross-cultural exhibition-making and transnational art history.
Founding director who established the Biennale's distinctive curatorial model and shaped its identity through multiple editions from 1991-2018.
Several core principles have guided the Lyon Biennale's curatorial approach over the years:
Through this distinctive curatorial approach, the Lyon Biennale has established itself as a platform for thoughtful, context-sensitive contemporary art presentation that balances innovation with continuity.
Explore the atmosphere and impact of the Lyon Biennale through this video showcase of exhibitions, installations, and visitor experiences across the city's diverse venues.
Explore critical perspectives and insights on the Lyon Biennale through these selected articles from leading art publications and critics.
An examination of how the Biennale transforms former industrial spaces into sites for contemporary artistic expression, creating dialogue between past and present.
Analysis of how the "Les voix des fleuves" theme explores ecological concerns and human interconnection through diverse artistic approaches.
Critical reflection on the 2022 Biennale's presentation of Beirut's artistic heritage and its connections to contemporary global concerns.
The Lyon Biennale takes place across multiple venues throughout Lyon, with the Museum of Contemporary Art (MAC Lyon) serving as one of the primary exhibition sites.