LYON BIENNALE – CONTEMPORARY ART

By BobP

Long known for high gastronomy and silk, Lyon has emerged as a regional powerhouse on the contemporary art scene in recent years thanks to its edgy biennale.  “A terrible beauty is born” – a verse from WB Yeats’ poem Easter, 1916 about the Irish uprising against the British, is this year’s theme.  

Conceived by Argentinian curator Victoria Noorthoorn – and on through December 31st, it showcases over 70 artists from the world over – mostly from Europe, Africa and Latin America. A theme of “productive contradiction”, as in Yeats’ poem, is prevalent in the exhibited works.

There is art everywhere, but four principal venues are of interest:

  • La Sucrière, an old sugar storage facility from the 1930s along the Saône river 
  • The Fondation Bullukian, in place Bellcour and dedicated to the Arts, Science and anything Armenian
  • The Contemporary Art Museum – designed by Renzo Piano and centrally located in the Cité Internationale complex
  • The TASE factory – an old silk factory built in 1924 in the Lyon-Vaulx-en-Velin district.

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