The board of Manifesta have announced that Manifesta 11 will be held in Zurich, Switzerland in 2016. Every two years the nomadic exhibition selects a different host city in Europe, typically selecting more peripheral or contested regions.
“Zurich has a very long history of artistic and intellectual liberalism. It was historically an incubator for revolutionary political and artistic movements. During periods of historical upheaval in Europe, Zurich offered asylum to intellectuals from around the world. Today’s Zurich is one of the most economically and technologically advanced cities in the world. This rich and rapidly evolving urban setting will give Manifesta 11 the opportunity to explore critical global issues relating to the processes of urbanization, urban space and society while reassessing the role art can play in these,” a press release states.
Since Manifesta was founded in the early ‘90s it’s mission has been to examine the cultural topography of Europe.Previous Host Cities of Manifesta include Manifesta 1, Rotterdam, The Netherlands, 1996, Manifesta 2, Luxemburg, Luxemburg 1998, Manifesta 3, Ljubljana, Slovenia, 2000, Manifesta 4, Frankfurt, Germany, 2002, Manifesta 5, Donostia-San Sebastian, Spain, 2004, Manifesta 6, Nicosia, Cyprus, 2006 (cancelled), Manifesta 7, Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, Italy, 2008, Manifesta 8, Murcia and Cartagena, Spain, 2010, Manifesta 9, Genk, Limburg, Belgium, 2012. Manifesta 10 in 2014 will be hosted by an institution for the first time, the State Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg.
