Whereas the previous edition, entitled “Where Water Comes Together With Other Water”, took Lyon’s distinctive geography as its starting-point to reflect on contemporary ecosystems, the thread of History runs through this 16th edition. It reveals past events that made local headlines but also caused unforeseen international repercussions in the political,economic and social but also artis- tic fields – thus proving, if still necessary, how richly art reflects its time.

After in-depth research in public and private archives, and drawing on the collections of many regional and national museums, as well as leading internationally-recognised institutions, the curators of the 2022 Lyon Biennale, Sam Bardaouil and Till Fellrath, have drawn up a “manifesto of fragility” that invites their guest artists to articulate, in turn, their sensitivity to the world around them and their desire to resist, amid the pandemic and its crippling consequences.