Trilogy 2 : Global

Curator – Harald Szeemann Venue - Tony Garnier Hall

The curator of the legendary 1969 exhibition When Attitudes Become Form directed this fourth edition on the theme of “the other”. He displayed monumental pieces alongside artworks associated with Art Brut, such as those of French postman the Facteur Cheval. With this theme, Lyon stated its intention to think in holistic and pluricultural terms. Two years before Venice, Szeemann showed the Lyon public a wide selection of Chinese artists. The Biennale again took up residence at Tony Garnier Hall for two editions, and moved to a summer berth. Some 79,000 visitors discovered the work of 88 artists.

Curator - Jean-Hubert Martin Venue - Tony Garnier Hall

This edition was for once held in an even year to celebrate the three zeros. Because people are always exotic to someone else, this Biennale was entitled Sharing Exoticisms and embraced other cultures once and for all. Its project? Reinstate the freedom to interpret forms on planetary scale. For this fifth edition, the event questioned the validity of art and its multiple applications worldwide. Artists from China, Brazil and Japan took part. The exhibition featured work by 140 artists and hosted 110,000 visitors.

Curators - Anne Bertrand, Jean-Marc Chapoulie, Yvane Chapuis, Laurence Dreyfus, Klaus Hersche, Richard Robert and Guy Walter Venues - Lyon Museum of Contemporary Art, Les Subsistances, Tête d’Or Park Orangery

Back in its odd-year slot, the Biennale had only a year to devise its sixth edition. Seven curators produced Connivance, which addressed the convergence between the arts: video games, choreography, photography, film, literature… This edition attracted 63,000 visitors to Les Subsistances, Tête d'Or Park, and the Museum of Contemporary Art.