a hand that is all our hands combined

Göteborg International Biennial for Contemporary Art #13
September 20 – November 30, 2025

Can we think beyond Us and Them?

The biennial’s 13th edition casts its gaze at artistic expressions rooted in an attitude of care that extends beyond personal concerns. In times of war, polarization and authoritarian tendencies, the biennial aims to investigate how art can facilitate dialogue and reflection and make resistance possible.

The title, a hand that is all our hands combined*, originates in a line from a poem by Solmaz Sharif, and stands as a reminder of the collective responsibility that we all share towards the present, past and future, on both individual and societal levels.

Christina Lehnert, the curator, works here with artists who strive for artistic freedom, challenge the institutions who yield to political pressure, and have a practice characterized by acts of solidarity. A new sense of responsibility for the present emerges through active engagement in political events, social movements and alternative forms of expression.

How do we stand up against stories that create fragmentation? How can we act from a spirit of solidarity? And how do we preserve artistic freedom in the face of rhetoric characterized by exclusion?

The exhibition has grown out of the conviction that art can foster alternative and collective narratives in times when democratic values are called into question.

*The biennial’s title, a hand that is all our hands combined, is drawn from the poem Personal Effects in the poetry collection Look by Solmaz Sharif, Graywolf Press, 2016.