Nantes Summer 2026: Four Exhibitions from Ruins to Decolonial Visions
Connaissance des Arts has organized four exhibitions in Nantes that highlight a range of artistic viewpoints. At the Musée d'Arts (10 rue Georges Clemenceau, until August 30), 'Anne et Patrick Poirier. Odyssée de l'oubli' presents reflective installations on themes of memory and ruins, including 'La Cité des ombres.' Directed by Sophie Lévy, the Voyage à Nantes, which runs until September 6, emphasizes 'earth' through works by various artists. The HAB Galerie (21 quai des Antilles, until September 27) showcases 'Interstellar. Ré-imaginer la terre,' featuring twenty contemporary artists alongside historical artifacts. Lastly, the biennial 'Expression(s) décoloniale(s)' at the Château des Ducs de Bretagne (4 place Marc-Elder, until November 8) pairs Omar Victor Diop with Rosana Paulino to explore the Atlantic slave trade and decolonial themes.
Key facts
- The Musée d'Arts in Nantes hosts 'Anne et Patrick Poirier. Odyssée de l'oubli' until August 30.
- The retrospective includes a new installation 'La Cité des ombres' in white ceramic, inspired by the Etruscan necropolis of Cerveteri.
- The Voyage à Nantes, directed by Sophie Lévy, opens a thematic cycle on the four elements with 'earth' as the first chapter.
- Artists in the Voyage à Nantes include Pierrick Sorin, Barbara Schroeder, Charlotte Charbonnel, Ali Cherri, Anne-Charlotte Finel, Louis Guillaume, Caroline Le Méhauté, Edgar Sarin, Dominique Petitgand, and Théo Mercier.
- The HAB Galerie presents 'Interstellar. Ré-imaginer la terre' until September 27, curated by Marc Donnadieu.
- The exhibition at HAB Galerie features works by Rebecca Bournigault, Caroline Corbasson, Hugo Deverchère, Clément Fourment, Ilanit Illouz, Constance Guisset, Anaïs Lelièvre, and Arthur Gosse.
- The fourth edition of 'Expression(s) décoloniale(s)' at the Château des Ducs de Bretagne runs until November 8.
- The decolonial exhibition pairs artists Omar Victor Diop (Senegal) and Rosana Paulino (Brazil), with curator Krystel Gualdé.
- The Voyage à Nantes runs until September 6 across various city locations.
- The HAB Galerie exhibition includes historical pieces from Nantes collections, such as meteorites and documents from the Jules Verne museum.
Entities
Artists
- Anne Poirier
- Patrick Poirier
- Pierrick Sorin
- Barbara Schroeder
- Charlotte Charbonnel
- Ali Cherri
- Anne-Charlotte Finel
- Louis Guillaume
- Caroline Le Méhauté
- Edgar Sarin
- Dominique Petitgand
- Théo Mercier
- Rebecca Bournigault
- Caroline Corbasson
- Hugo Deverchère
- Clément Fourment
- Ilanit Illouz
- Constance Guisset
- Anaïs Lelièvre
- Arthur Gosse
- Omar Victor Diop
- Rosana Paulino
- Marc Donnadieu
- Krystel Gualdé
- Sophie Lévy
- Mahmoud Darwich
Institutions
- Connaissance des Arts
- Musée d'Arts de Nantes
- Le Voyage à Nantes
- HAB Galerie
- Château des Ducs de Bretagne
- Musée d'Histoire de Nantes
- Galerie Mitterrand
- Mendes Wood DM
- NASA
Locations
- Nantes
- France
- Cerveteri
- Italy
- Senegal
- Brazil
- Ukraine
- Middle East
- Jardin des Plantes
- Jardin extraordinaire
- Île de Nantes
- Basilique Saint-Nicolas
- Cathédrale de Nantes
- Château des Ducs de Bretagne
- Passage Sainte-Croix
- Chapelle du lycée Clemenceau
- Square Daviais
- Place Graslin
- HAB Galerie, 21 quai des Antilles
- Musée d'Arts, 10 rue Georges Clemenceau
- Château des Ducs de Bretagne, 4 place Marc-Elder