The nomadic art biennial Manifesta, which moves to a different host city every two years, has announced that it is heading to Portugal in 2028, marking the first time the exhibition will be held in the country.
Manifesta 17, which will take place in Coimbra in central Portugal, will be a collaborative edition organised in partnership with Anozero-Biennial of Contemporary Art, which is organised by the Municipality of Coimbra and the University of Coimbra. The Portuguese Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports and the Ministry of Tourism are also project partners.
“Bringing Manifesta to Coimbra is a strategic opportunity that reflects the government’s commitment to culture in its various dimensions and across the entire territory,” says Margarida Balseiro Lopes, the minister of culture, youth and sports, in a statement, highlighting the government’s strategic plan to invest in cultural infrastructure.
Famous heritage sites in Coimbra include Sé Velha, or the Romanesque Roman Catholic Old Cathedral, which dates from 1117. In 2013, Unesco declared the University of Coimbra a World Heritage site.
According to the Manifesta website, each edition is managed by a combination of “permanent international team members and local specialists”. A Manifesta spokesperson says: "Each edition of Manifesta is funded primarily by a mixture of funds from public local institutions, ranging from the municipality to the ministry. In addition to this basic budget, extra funds are raised from corporate sponsors and international sources."
The 16th edition of Manifesta will take place in the Ruhr area of Germany (North-Rhine Westphalia) in 2026 (21 June-4 October). Last year the nomadic biennial took place in Barcelona, focusing on the themes Balancing Conflicts, Cure and Care and Imagining Futures. Other Manifesta host cities include Palermo in Sicily, Rotterdam in The Netherlands and St Petersburg in Russia.