Her Excellency Noura bint Mohammed Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Youth, yesterday visited the 16th edition of the Lyon Biennale of Contemporary Art, which is being held in France from September 14 to December 31, under the theme “Manifesto of Fragility”.

Her Excellency toured the exhibition, which includes 230 works of art by 34 artists, more than 300 archival documents from nearly 40 collections worldwide. She viewed the works of UAE artists Hashel Al Lamki, Mohammed Kazem and mural artist Chafa Ghaddar, who are representing the UAE at the event. Their participation is supported by the Ministry of Culture and Youth, the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, in cooperation with the Lyon Biennale Foundation.

Her Excellency appreciated the artworks and commended the artists for their extra-ordinary work to give the French and international audiences a new perspective on the UAE’s contemporary art scene. She said that the artists had perfectly encapsulated the theme of this year’s biennale which focuses on the fragility and instability of life.

During the visit, Her Excellency stressed that art transcends borders and cuts across divisions. With its universal language for dialogue, art has an innate ability to forge connections with different peoples and cultures. She pointed out that the Emirati art showcased in such high-profile global exhibitions play a key role in defining the status of art in the UAE. These exhibits introduce art aficionados from around the world to the world-class Emirati art movement that stems from a long history of creative and intellectual awareness. 

This year’s Biennale presents new works by contemporary artists along with historical pieces from museums in the French city of Lyon and other places. It is also showcasing collections loaned from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden from the German city of Dresden along with pieces from Lyon’s leading cultural institutions such as the Museum of Fine Arts, the Lugdunum Museum and Roman theatres, the Jadani Museums and others.

The event offers visitors a range of art projects within two main tracks, the artwork hub, which includes contributions from 87 contemporary artists from 39 countries, and a chronological track that includes hundreds of artworks and historical pieces spanning two thousand years alongside collections loaned from various artistic bodies from Lyon and beyond.