A former locomotive factory, a museum exceptionally reopened, traboules to explore… For its 18th edition, the Lyon Contemporary Art Biennale takes us far beyond the exhibition halls. A journey through the artworks and the city, with an invitation: “Moving from one dream to another.”

In Lyon, a door can conceal an entire journey. You enter a building, discover a courtyard, take a staircase, and emerge onto another street. These passageways, the famous traboules, inspired curator Catherine Nichols to imagine this new Biennale. Now it’s our turn to be surprised: art takes over museums, slips into the city’s interstices, and leads us to its former industrial heartland.

At Les Grandes Locos, the change of scale is spectacular. In this 10,000 m² hall, formerly used for locomotive maintenance, contemporary art takes center stage with monumental works. Another highly anticipated stop is the Museum of Textiles and Decorative Arts, closed for renovations, which is exceptionally reopening its doors for the event. Along with the macLYON, these venues form the three main anchor points of a journey that extends into the traboules (covered passageways) of the Croix-Rousse slopes and the garden of the Museum of Fine Arts. It's a chance to rediscover Lyon, even for those who think they know it like the back of their hand.

But what does this journey tell us? Beneath its dreamy title, the Biennale poses a very concrete question: what do we value? What we own, what we make, the time we spend together? Inspired by the “principles of poetic economy” of artist Robert Filliou, it focuses on work, exchange, materials, and the gestures that sustain our lives.

Among the invited artists, Archana Hande explores the links between artisanal traditions, industrial production, and digital technologies. Through her installations, sculptures, and videos, materials also tell the stories of those who work with them. This edition also gives special prominence to the Australian and New Zealand art scenes, still relatively unknown in France.

And since shared time also has its value, each of the three main venues hosts The Permanent Party. Second-hand sofas and armchairs invite visitors to settle in, amidst conversations, performances, and radio or video broadcasts. There, one can pause, listen, and exchange ideas. Between discoveries, the Biennale also offers us this simple pleasure: a place to linger.

18th Lyon Biennale – Contemporary Art
From One Dream to Another
From September 19 to December 13, 2026
Locations: Les Grandes Locos in La Mulatière, macLYON, Museum of Textiles and Decorative Arts.
Opening Hours: Tuesday to Friday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Closed on Mondays. October 20-30 and November 1 and 11: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Late Openings at Les Grandes Locos: until 9:30 p.m. on October 9, November 13, and December 11.