Manifesta 13, the European Nomadic Biennial which originated in the early 1990s in response to the political, economic, and social change following the end of the Cold War, has been postponed because of the COVID-19 crisis. It was due to take place at various venues in Marseille, France 7 June – 1 December 2020
Manifesta released this official statement today
In light of the current situation surrounding the COVID-19 virus and the French National Government’s announcement on 16 March 2020 that France’s borders would close for 30 days and that a national lockdown of 15 days would be enforced, it is in close consultation with the City of Marseille, that Director of Manifesta Hedwig Fijen, together with Manifesta 13 Marseille’s Board members, has officially decided to postpone the 13th edition of the biennial.
Manifesta 13 Marseille is currently reviewing multiple scenarios in close collaboration with the City of Marseille, Manifesta’s Artistic Team and Board Members and other cultural stakeholders in the region in the hope of being able to announce the new dates of Manifesta 13 Marseille by mid-April 2020. Manifesta will continue to assess the situation as it evolves, prioritising at all times to safeguard the health and wellbeing of its employees, participants and community
Manifesta would also like to express its wholehearted solidarity towards those affected by the crisis.
Members of the press and professionals who have already received or requested their accreditation for the preview days of Manifesta 13 Marseille’s three programmes (Traits d’ union.s, Le Tiers Programme, and Les Parallèles du Sud) will be contacted once Manifesta 13 Marseille’s new dates have been announced, with the manual on how to download their new accreditations.
Manifesta 13 Marseille has also postponed its pre-biennial programme until further notice.
Manifesta 13 has temporarily closed its two project spaces in Marseille; Espace Manifesta 13 (42 La Canebière) and Tiers QG (57 rue Bernard du Bois) until at least 15 April 2020. No public events will take place during this period, including workshops of Le Tour de Tous les Possibles.
In addition to this, Manifesta has temporarily closed the exhibition Manifesta Revisited at Manifesta’s Headquarters in Amsterdam.
Manifesta, the European Nomadic Biennial, originated in the early 1990s in response to the political, economic, and social change following the end of the Cold War and the subsequent steps towards European integration. Manifesta has developed into a platform for dialogue between art and society by inviting the cultural and artistic community to produce new creative experiences with, and for, the context in which it takes place. Manifesta rethinks the relations between culture and society investigating and catalysing positive social change in Europe through contemporary culture in a continuous dialogue with the social sphere of a specific place. Manifesta was founded and is still directed, by Dutch art historian Hedwig Fijen. Each new edition is fundraised individually and managed by a permanent team of international specialists. Manifesta 13 Marseille is a non-profit organisation initiated by the International Foundation of Manifesta and the City of Marseille. Manifesta 13 Marseille is supported by the City of Marseille, the French Ministry of Culture, the Préfecture des Bouches du Rhône and the Departmental Council of the Bouches-du-Rhône. Dates of Manifesta 13 Marseille: (Postponed) –> 1 November 2020 Previous Manifesta Host Cities Manifesta 1, Rotterdam (the Netherlands, 1996) Manifesta 2, Luxembourg (Luxembourg, 1998) Manifesta 3, Ljubljana (Slovenia, 2000) Manifesta 4, Frankfurt (Germany, 2002) Manifesta 5, Donostia-San Sebastián (Spain, 2004) Manifesta 6, Nicosia (Cyprus, 2006 – cancelled) Manifesta 7, Trentino-Alto Adige (Italy, 2008) Manifesta 8, Murcia – Cartagena (Spain, 2010) Manifesta 9, Genk-Limburg (Belgium, 2012) Manifesta 10, St. Petersburg (Russia, 2014) Manifesta 11, Zurich (Switzerland, 2016) Manifesta 12, Palermo (Italy, 2018)