Manifesta 11: An art event for everyone

An art mediator is standing in a meadow on the bank of a stream, looking at a sheet of paper he is holding. Another sheet of paper is floating away down the stream. Photo: Eelke van Koot, Manifesta 11 art mediator ©Manifesta11

Project completed

Not many events have the potential to get a wide audience excited about contemporary art. The Manifesta European cultural festival does precisely that. This biennale brings art into the spaces where people live, not just to museums. Every two years, the event is held in different cities throughout Europe.

Accessing art with no prior knowledge

«What People Do For Money» was the title of the eleventh edition, which came to Zurich in 2016 and was co-enabled by the Migros Pioneer Fund in the capacity of private partner. On the one hand its ambitious mediation team set itself the task of winning over those who had previously not been interested in contemporary art. On the other hand a card game was developed to help people make their own interpretations of art without needing any prior knowledge.

The courage to experiment

The name Manifesta stands for a high level of quality and for being accessible to a broader public, but also for curatorial freedom and the courage to experiment. In 2022, Manifesta 14 will take place in Pristina (Kosovo), in 2024 in Barcelona and in 2026 in Germany, in the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.