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

Francis Alÿs, BE

This video documented a long dreamed-of journey. The story began when the Belgian artist and his brother first began plotting to drive their Lada Kopelka to the USSR’s border. Their first attempt failed as the car broke down a few kilometres away from the East German border. Thirty years later, in 2014, the brothers were reunited and made another attempt, this time departing from Brussels for St. Petersburg. Upon arriving successfully in the Russian city, Francis Alÿs crashed the Lada Kopelka into a tree in the Winter Palace courtyard. This destruction of the automative symbol of communism provided an ending to the narrative.