Le Voyage à Nantes: The Summer Journey

From 1 July to 3 September 2023, this 12th edition will surprise visitors and locals with a completely new way to discover the city.

Each year, the summer Voyage à Nantes enriches the permanent collection through temporary or permanent installations of contemporary artworks in the public space.

“Every year, during our scouting missions, where we select the sites, monuments, perspectives, and public squares that will host an artist’s installation, our staff looks up to the heavens, meeting the eyes of the statues that live in the city – ones we no longer see, and yet still represent the city a little.

These frozen citizens intrigue and inspire us with their own individual stories.

We also dream that other migrating statues – ones from other cities in France or around the world – might come to Nantes and transform our understanding of it.

We think about all this… and we continue our stroll.

However, this year, fascinated by both their presence and their invisibility, we decided they should become characters in our adventure – and that some might even become animated, relax a little, and finally come out to meet us in ‘real life’.

The statue of the little girl descending from the pedestal of Éloge de la transgression (“Ode to Transgression”) across from Cambronne has most likely inspired our little tale.”

Jean Blaise