From Varda to Penone: The Potato as Art at Château d'Aubenas

The exhibition 'Des patates' at Le Château – Centre d'Art Contemporain et du Patrimoine d'Aubenas (11 April – 20 September 2026) explores artists' fascination with potatoes. Curated by Simon Bruneel-Millon and Clémentine Planche, it features works by Agnès Varda (including her 2003 Venice Biennale project 'Patatutopia'), Giuseppe Penone (with bronze and potato installations), Michel Blazy (living potato landscapes), and others. Varda's film 'Les Glaneurs et la glaneuse' (2000) inspired her potato-themed works. The exhibition includes a photographic report by Lucas Chanoine on local Ardèche potato farms, which also supply produce for artworks. Other artists: Valérie Geissbühler Pacheco (linking potatoes to colonization), Pilar Albarracín (domestic sacrifice), Hanna Nagel (exhausted mother), Raphaël-Bachir Osman (humorous potato portraits), Elia David (chip packet), Brassaï (mysterious close-ups), Serge Paillard (cosmic sprouts), and SMITH (sculptures). The show runs at Place de l'Hôtel de ville, 07200 Aubenas.