MARSEILLE.- Manifesta 13 Marseille will welcome audiences and participants to its three programmes: the central exhibition Traits d’union.s; its education and mediation programme Le Tiers Programme and the parallel programme Les Parallèles du Sud, between the 28th of August and the 29th of November 2020.

Manifesta 13 Marseille will be evolving throughout its entire duration. From the 28th of August the plots of Traits d’union.s will start to unfold, gradually moving from plot to plot with different intensities at different speeds, different underlying thoughts and dreams. The story of Manifesta 13 Marseille is that of passages, or as the title of the exhibition suggests, that of hyphens, between one world and the next: Traits d’union.s

Manifesta 13 Marseille speaks first and foremost to the specific situation of Marseille, especially its histories and contemporary condition in this moment of transition. Manifesta 13 connects the voices of its participants with those of the local partner organisations and the people of Marseille.

“For us Manifesta 13 Marseille was never thought of as a ‘full stop', but as a hyphen, or rather hyphens – traits d’union.s – a gesture of bringing together. Yet, suddenly we find ourselves in a situation where reality amplifies and exhilarates some of our underlying thoughts, dreams and nightmares. Suddenly with all the predicaments of the present moment, you realise the urgency by which only culture can speak to the uncertainty of our times.” – Katerina Chuchalina, Stefan Kalmár and Alya Sebti, Artistic Team of Manifesta 13 Marseille

“By moving away from the traditional biennial model which Manifesta started to develop for Manifesta 12 Palermo in 2018, the future model for Manifesta is to collaborate even more closely and constructively with local citizens. Manifesta emphasises the potential that already exists within ‘the local’, which is very much visible in the current programme of Manifesta 13 in Marseille.” – Hedwig Fijen, Founding Director of Manifesta

“Organising Manifesta 13 Marseille from the 28th of August to the 29th of November 2020, is to give a sign of hope, to reaffirm that we will once again be able to share moments of joy and original artistic experiences. It is also a sign of our support to the artistic scene in Marseille, hit by the crisis, and to give an opportunity to present its talent, originality, inventiveness and generosity to the widest possible audience. It means thinking about the future.” – Jean-Claude Gaudin, Mayor of Marseille, Honorary Vice-President of the Senate of the French Republic