"Updated and with a new preface by the authors."--Cover.

Published on the occasion of Manifesta 10, the European Biennial of Contemporary Art in St. Petersburg, Russia, this illustrated volume collects artworks, concepts, and essays that invite the reader to explore the possibilities of contemporary art in deeply historical settings. For the first time, Manifesta is hosted by a museum, uniting the State Heritage Museum's 250th anniversary and Manifesta's twentieth anniversary as a nomadic biennial. This book, which is structured like a classic catologue, reflects the intuitive and playful nature of Kasper Konig's exhibition. Contemporary art stands alongside the historical and cultural heritage of the Hermitage, and many projects create a unique homage to it and to the city of St. Petersburg. New works claim their place in ways that are often subtle and surprising, inviting viewers and readers to grapple with the endless ways in which contemporary art questions, complements, or even dovetails with tradition.

This is the first monograph fully dedicated to critically investigating the political, economic, artistic, urban, and societal relationships of Manifesta – European Biennial of Contemporary Art, a European nomadic biennial initiated in the post-Cold War era. Despite being one of the most important recurrent exhibitions taking place in Europe, surprisingly little has been written about it since the mid-2000s, Manifesta, Art, Society and Politics provides a deeply-researched and engaging analysis of the the critically overlooked Manifesta exhibitions, as well as it's changing goals and discourse since the first edition in 1996. The book is split into four parts, divided by theme and following the exhibitions chronologically. Providing a comprehensive overview of one of the most important biennials in Europe, Manifesta, Art, Society and Politics investigates the relationship between large-scale art exhibitions, culture-led regeneration, and urban transformation. It is essential reading for students and researches of exhibition and curatorial studies, art history, and cultural studies.

The Manifesta, which takes place every two years in a different European city, has a reputation for being a place for creativity and innovation, and for good reason. Primarily responsible for this is festival's opening program, which was tested in 2018 in Palermo and is now being continued in Marseille in 2020. Winy Maas's architectural office, MVRDV, and The Why Factory (t?f) were commissioned to explore the city's urban space through the means of artistic research and the latest method of data analysis. This resulted in a compendium of social, cultural, ethical, religious, and geographical structures. It was, however, meant to do more than just describe the status quo. The exploration also began a process that goes far beyond the Manifesta itself, to enrich Marseille's future as a city. This publication allows itself to become an audience and hence, part of the project. MVRDV was founded in 1991 and has its headquarters in Rotterdam. It is currently one of the most successful Dutch architectural offices. Besides Winy Maas, Jacob van Rijs and Nathalie de Vries are among its co-founders. Its trademark is the experimental, innovative form in architectural design. Maas also heads up the THE WHY FACTORY (T?F), a research institute that explores the development of cities and designs urban models for the future.

Reflections from curators, historians, philosophers, anthropologists, architects, and writers on the cultural and political conditions of European exhibition practice since the fall of the Berlin Wall.