Art Grandeur Nature 2006 Biennial Expands into Urban Sites in Seine-Saint-Denis

The seventh edition of the biennial Art Grandeur Nature, held from September 16 to November 19, 2006, moved away from its traditional venue at Parc de la Courneuve to multiple urban sites across Seine-Saint-Denis, France. Titled "Mutations urbaines," the event selected locations with historical or sociological significance: Cité Pierre Sémard in Blanc-Mesnil (featuring works by Pierre Di Sciullo, Daniel Firman, and Georges Rousse), the former Brasserie Bouchoule in Montreuil (with Daniel Dewar & Grégory Gicquel, Gyan Panchal, and Tatiana Trouvé), and Cité République (known as Cité Lénine) in Aubervilliers (with Dora Garcia). The online magazine Synesthésie hosted virtual creations by Jessica Label and Simon Boudvin. Curated by Paul Ardenne, the biennial employed a "contextual art" method emphasizing direct engagement with local communities, but deliberately avoided populist or spectacular approaches. Works were often subtle or hidden; for example, Garcia sent a new resident to discreetly investigate Cité Lénine. Georges Rousse's anamorphoses and Firman's rotating mechanical tree were ambiguous rather than immediately legible. The exhibition maintained a critical distance between artwork and viewer, rejecting the notion that art is a universal language. Each piece retained its poetic specificity without pandering to popular taste.