ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Nuit Blanche 2018: Four Constellations Illuminate Paris

festival-fair · 2026-05-04

Paris's Nuit Blanche returns on October 6-7, 2018, with four curated routes called 'Constellations' by artistic director Gaël Charbau. The free all-night event, launched in 2002, attracts nearly a million visitors and has inspired similar events in 30 cities including Brussels, Kyoto, Melbourne, Taipei, and for the first time, Houston. The Invalides constellation features a pedestrianized kilometer from the Musée de l'Armée to the Champs-Élysées, with works by Félicie d'Estienne d'Orves, Jamila Johnson Small, and others. The Île Saint-Louis constellation explores hidden sites from Hôtel de Ville to Les Halles. La Villette constellation transforms the park with Fabien Léaustic's extraterrestrial geyser. The Porte Dorée constellation begins with a performance by Eric Minh Cuong Castaing and leads to the Palais de la Porte Dorée and Parc Zoologique de Paris.

Key facts

  • Nuit Blanche 2018 takes place October 6-7 in Paris.
  • Artistic director Gaël Charbau named the four routes 'Constellations'.
  • The event is free and attracts nearly one million visitors.
  • Invalides constellation includes a pedestrianized kilometer from Musée de l'Armée to Champs-Élysées.
  • Félicie d'Estienne d'Orves presents light, sculpture, and new tech works.
  • Jamila Johnson Small shows choreographic projects at Espace Cardin / Théâtre de la Ville.
  • La Villette constellation features Fabien Léaustic's extraterrestrial geyser.
  • Porte Dorée constellation opens with a performance by Eric Minh Cuong Castaing.
  • Palais de la Porte Dorée, built in 1931 by Albert Laprade, is now the Musée national de l'histoire de l'immigration.
  • Nuit Blanche has inspired similar events in 30 cities including Houston for the first time.

Entities

Artists

  • Gaël Charbau
  • Félicie d'Estienne d'Orves
  • Jamila Johnson Small
  • Fabien Léaustic
  • Eric Minh Cuong Castaing
  • Samuel Trenquier
  • Abdelkader Benchamman
  • Bernard Tschumi
  • Albert Laprade

Institutions

  • Artribune
  • Musée de l'Armée
  • Hôtel des Invalides
  • Pont Alexandre III
  • Grand Palais
  • Petit Palais
  • Espace Cardin / Théâtre de la Ville
  • Hôtel de Ville
  • Cité des Arts
  • Les Halles
  • Parc de la Villette
  • Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie
  • Géode
  • Cité de la musique
  • Conservatoire de Paris
  • Zénith
  • Palais de la Porte Dorée
  • Musée national de l'histoire de l'immigration
  • Parc Zoologique de Paris
  • Biennale de Dakar
  • Biennale de Sharjah
  • Galerie du jour agnès b.
  • Isabelle Van Den Eynde
  • Studio UY077

Locations

  • Paris
  • France
  • Invalides
  • Champs-Élysées
  • Île Saint-Louis
  • Île de la Cité
  • Notre-Dame
  • La Villette
  • Porte Dorée
  • Lac Daumesnil
  • Brussels
  • Belgium
  • Kyoto
  • Japan
  • Melbourne
  • Australia
  • Taipei
  • Taiwan
  • Houston
  • United States

Sources