The first was the Venice Biennale, year of birth 1895, then S\u00e3o Paulo (1951), Sydney (1973) up to the growing widespread diffusion all over the world. Art Biennials can no longer be counted. They differ in terms of ambitions, places and influence but they all carry traits that distinguish them from classical exhibitions: relevance to the place, social permeability, and biennial recurrence, indeed. Biennials are a good synthesis of cultural globalization for the universal themes they intend to address: the world changes and the growing public gathers in the same place every two years to reflect on what is happening.<\/p>\n
Like every good rule that is respected, however, there is an exception, a unicum. A peripatetic Biennial that escapes the most significant prerogative, that of the hosting place, in order to be adopted by Europe.<\/p>\n
Born in the early Nineties, Manifesta stands out in the panorama of contemporary art exhibitions for its nomadic character and experimental spirit. Founded in 1994 by Hedwig Fijen, this Europeanist Biennial has aimed from the outset to be a dynamic platform seeking to explore the social, political and cultural changes of post-Cold War Europe. Manifesta changes location with every edition, immersing itself each time in a new urban, political and aesthetic context.<\/p>\n
The creation of Manifesta responded to a need perceived in the early 90s: to create a connection between the emerging art scenes in the countries of Eastern Europe and those of Western Europe, at a historical moment of radical transition. It was the era immediately following the fall of the Berlin Wall, and Europe was busy rethinking itself. Within this framework, Manifesta intended to be a place of dialogue, creative conflict and experimentation.<\/p>\n
The most innovative aspect of Manifesta is that each edition is designed in close relation with the hosting context: the city, its history, its conflicts, its social energies. Manifesta does not offer a standardized structure, but rather shapes itself each time according to the needs and urgencies of the place. This entails a challenge both for the organizers and for the invited artists, who find themselves working in territories often complex and full of tensions, because the chosen venues are not obvious destinations.<\/p>\n
Another distinctive element is its decentralized curatorial structure. Often, a different curatorial team is appointed for each edition, or an international call is launched to select the curators. In some cases, the artistic direction has been entrusted to local collectives or institutions, in others to internationally renowned curators. This allows for a plurality of visions that prevents Manifesta from crystallizing into a recognizable and repetitive aesthetic.<\/p>\n
At the heart of each edition is certainly the will to activate the territory: Manifesta does not limit itself to \u201cexhibiting\u201d artworks, indeed it dogmatically declares that it wants to go beyond the concept of the \u201cinert object hanging in the museum\u201d, aiming to directly affect the urban fabric, to stimulate public debates, to involve local communities in processes of co-creation and critical reflection.<\/p>\n
Since Hedwig Fijen is Dutch and the operational center is in the Netherlands, the first edition took place in 1996 in Rotterdam, a city already then characterized by its cultural ferment. The choice of a port city, crossroads of exchanges and identities, proved to be paradigmatic: Manifesta was born as an event oriented towards encounters and contaminations. It was a reduced edition, a first impact, but highly significant. A space to experiment directly with the hosting urban fabric.<\/p>\n
In the following years, the Biennial crossed Europe touching Luxembourg (1998), Ljubljana (2000), Frankfurt (2002), San Sebasti\u00e1n (2004), Nicosia (2006, edition cancelled for political reasons), Trentino-Alto Adige (2008), Murcia (2010), Genk (2012), Saint Petersburg (2014), Zurich (2016), Palermo (2018), Marseille (2020), Pristina (2022), Barcelona (2024).<\/p>\n
Among all, the 2018 edition in Palermo was particularly significant. Entitled \u201cThe Planetary Garden. Cultivating Coexistence\u201d, Manifesta12 explored the theme of coexistence, migratory flows and cultural biodiversity, choosing the garden \u2013 an element rooted in Mediterranean culture \u2013 as a metaphor.<\/p>\n
In a city marked by centuries of cultural stratification, the artists worked in close collaboration with local communities, often intervening directly in the urban space, reviving abandoned places, rediscovering closed palaces and dialoguing with both tangible and intangible heritage.<\/p>\n
The 2014 edition was hosted in Saint Petersburg, amid many controversies: Moscow had invaded Ukraine and passed repressive laws, so many artists chose to boycott the event. However, Manifesta10 decided to proceed, trying to open critical spaces within a repressive environment.<\/p>\n
This decision reignited the debate on the role of contemporary art in contexts of political crisis. Just like in 2006 in Nicosia, with the failed attempt at dialogue between Cyprus and the Turkish part of the island separated by the green line, occupied since 1974. Can art be a political glue? Difficult. In that case, there was no way, and the edition was cancelled.<\/p>\n
Presented on April 29, the next edition will be in the Ruhr, starting from June next year. Despite its successes, Manifesta is not exempt from criticism. Some observers have highlighted the risks inherent in its \u201cnomadic\u201d formula: each new city requires enormous investments in terms of logistics, communication and building local relationships. Sometimes, the event has been accused of practicing a form of \u201ccultural extractivism\u201d, taking away energy and creativity from territories without leaving a real lasting impact. This largely depends on the hosting location, much like what happens with the Olympics.<\/p>\n
Others have noted how the selection process of the hosting cities has become increasingly complex and politically delicate over time: choosing one city over another means taking a stand on economic, geopolitical and social issues. In this regard, Manifesta has created the Manifesta Education and Mediation Department, which aims to establish educational projects and long-term engagement programs, going beyond the Biennial period.<\/p>\n
Thirty years after its foundation, Manifesta represents a privileged observatory on the contradictions of our time, continuing to propose art as an instrument of inquiry, transformation and dialogue. And in doing so, it reaffirms the need for a culture capable of questioning itself, of opening up to otherness, of imagining new forms of coexistence.<\/p>\n
With Manifesta, Europe appears to us broader and closer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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