Manifesta purposely strives to keep its distance from what are often seen as the dominant centres of artistic production, instead seeking fresh and fertile terrain for the mapping of a new cultural topography.

Manifesta 13 Marseille was one of the only international biennials to take place during the global pandemic COVID-19, the biennial ended earlier than planned due to the second national lockdown

Gianni Motti, IT

Urban installation at River Main Banks

On an island in the Main River, Italian artist Gianni Motti re-created the prison cell of Abdullah Ocalan, the Kurd leader who had been in prison on the Turkish island of Imrali since 1999. The project not only recalled the Kurd leader and his imprisonment, but also posed general questions concerning human rights and human dignity.