17th Lyon Biennale — The Voices of the Rivers Crossing the water

Professional days: 18, 19 and 20 September 2024

Press day: 17 September 2024

Artistic director: Isabelle Bertolotti
Guest curator: Alexia Fabre

Entitled Les voix des fleuves Crossing the Water, the 17th edition of the Lyon Biennale invites artists to explore and question the relationships between individuals and their environment. This project is based on the natural and human geography of the territory, as well as on the spirit of the new venues of the Biennale, such as the Grandes Locos and the Cité Internationale de la Gastronomie. Historically, the macLYON is the site most linked to the Biennale, and all these places evoke the themes of hospitality and human relations. They carry within them history, diversity and the invention of community practices. The walls of these spaces bear witness to the lives and works of those who frequented them, thus evoking rituals of conviviality and modes of coexistence. Artists are invited to resonate with the unique voices of these places, revealing their stories and social characteristics. These spaces, dedicated to construction, repair, care and hospitality, illustrate a multitude of destinies and forms of relationships, whether traditional, innovative or aspired. Although otherness may seem risky, we consider it to be a necessary risk, a source of discovery and enrichment. Rivers and streams carry with them stories of exchanges, encounters, rare resources such as salt, as well as stories of conquests and discoveries. Human relationships can take various paths, from contestation to confluence. The hope we defend is to create a space for debate and self-invention, in dialogue with others. See you from Saturday, September 21, 2024 to Sunday, January 5, 2025 to discover the artists of this edition!

The venues of the biennial:

• The Great Locos.
• Museum of Contemporary Art of Lyon (MACLyon)
• Garden of the Museum of Fine Arts
• The International City of Gastronomy of Lyon — Grand Hôtel-Dieu
• Bullukian Foundation
• IAC – Institute of Contemporary Art, Villeurbanne/Rhône-Alpes
• LPA Saint Antoine car park
• Metro station B — Gare Part-Dieu
• Gallo-Roman Museum of Saint-Romain-en-Gal — Rhône Department