Sleep. La Contemporaine: a new contemporary art event every three years that should not be missed

there Contemporary of Nim that it New every three years Of the contemporary creativity the city holds, from the beginning of April until Sunday 23 June 2024. Every three years, an excerpt of the art of the day will now be presented across the city around a central theme.

For this inaugural edition” New youth », as its name indicates, it revolves around today’s youth, their concerns, and their connection to the generations that preceded them, through the concepts of heritage and transmission.

In the program: A Great gallery Multidisciplinary is visible throughout the city. ” Flower and power “, but also Many points and events for them Several dozen recognized and emerging artists From the French and international arena, intervention.

Strong start

The opening weekend of the event was a huge success, with A.J Attendance Record In all the city’s museums, houses and a large crowd of sites installed on the public domain in the city center. Nimes but also regionalists, Parisians, Bretons, foreigners, contemporary art lovers or beginners, all gathered in the city of Antonin. “These first numbers show that La Contemporaine de Nîmes has been anticipated and that the exhibitions in the city’s various museums and in public spaces have managed to find their audience. I am particularly pleased to see that this ambitious project brings together local actors and puts Nîmes on the map of major contemporary creative events.” Jean-Paul Fournier, Mayor of Nimes.

The city as an open-air museum

Therefore, the programming of this first contemporary exhibition is the starting point for a major exhibition entitled “Flower and Power,” referring to the flower and the power of age. Spread out in shapeRoad through the city centreit consists of Twelve artistic projects In many places: museums, cultural places, heritage sites, public places…

Each of them brings together a generational pair consisting of an emerging artist and an established or historical artist, as well as a group of Nîmes residents connected by their creativity. Exhibition Road is Divided into five sectors Which can be visited in the order of your choice: station, plaza, classroom, square and gardens. More details here.

Two weekends not to be missed

The event side of La Contemporaine gives pride of place to Live and performing artsSix highlights punctuate the programme, revisiting memories of childhood and youth through an artistic lens. It is distributed inside Three big weekends of programming : The opening weekend already held at the beginning of April, the middle weekend (May 24-25-26) and the closing weekend (June 21-22-23).

Saturday, May 25 from 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm Dancer and choreographer Dimitri Chamblas He invites us to watch a match from his new game, Al-Nafourah [fontaine], in which about thirty people participate at La Placete Primary School, which is exceptionally open on a weekend day. Rule: Make your body moan loudly and make a fountain together.

Each participant sucks in a liquid and releases it by making different sounds. The exercise requires facing the sky, a gesture that connects with the cosmos as much as it reconnects with the childish reflex of gargling contests. With this living sculpture, as in his previous projects, Dimitri Chamblas invites us to slow down and spread the grace of the body within its mysteries.

On Saturday the 25th again, this time at 8:30 p.m., the venue is in “ Theater outing “But what do young people want? » This may be one of the questions addressed by the original creativity of the artist and performer Nday Kwago, his first theatrical project. The play was written, directed and performed with students of the first specialist theater from the Lycée Philippe L’Amour in Nîmes. Titled “You, Us, and the Rest,” it chronicles the dreams, hopes, fears, doubts, and anxieties of these high school students at the height of adolescence.

Their thoughts and emotions were reproduced with the greatest authenticity, the artist accompanying them in writing and acting without ever taking their place. Above all, he wanted to highlight and legitimize their presence, and encourage the expression of their poetic and artistic voices. Getting up on stage and speaking and being heard without being interrupted in an 800-seat room is perhaps what young people ultimately want.

During the weekend closing, Specifically on Saturday, June 22, which we will talk about in a dedicated article, “La Kermesse” with Mohamed Bourouissa from 12 noon to 7 p.m. and “La Veillée,” from 8 p.m. to midnight.

Perfect break in “homes”

Maisons de la Contemporaine are spaces of rest and conviviality, to take a break during your visit. Each of them also welcomes a resident artist or group, which carries out a participatory project with the inhabitants of the surrounding area and its buildings. Therefore, it can be accessed:

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