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québec city transforms as art fair passages insolites unexpectedly takes over

ephemeral installations from upside-down cars turned into planters to underground buried libraries take over québec city in the 8th annual edition of passages insolites. the open-air fair organized by exmuro arts publics takes over entire streets and rivers, involving more than 20 urban artworks by international artists. whether ones passes through an arch made of golden baguettes or around the water submerged village in bassin louis, the unexpected boundary-pushing works definitely deliver surprising moments.

québec city transforms as art fair passages insolites unexpectedly takes over
french artist benedetto bufalino flips ‘lawn cars’ filled with earth, reflecting on consumerism and climate emergency

all images courtesy of passages insolites
photographs by stéphane bourgeois

 

 

under the artistic direction of vincent roy and in collaboration with l’assemblée nationale de québec, le grand théâtre de québec and the ciradelle-musée royal, passages insolites by exmuro unravels and reconnects the city’s corners. thanks to artists participating from all over the world, original, playful and unscripted pop-ups give passersby unanticipated encounters. painted yellow arrows point to the different locations and the journey begins!

québec city transforms as art fair passages insolites unexpectedly takes over
american artist mark jenkins dresses hyperrealistic characters in alarming positions fooling passersby underneath

 

 

for the first time, performers such as dancers, musicians, circus, theater and multidisciplinary artists spark joy and magic around the artworks. from petit-champlain to the old port district this brand new experience straddles the border between reality and imagination. moreover, the emblematic building designed for québec’s 400th anniversary welcomes MOBA, the museum of bad art. on a tour from boston, its visit to the city marks another first. to house art that is too bad to be ignored, espace 400th is transformed into a museum itself. 

québec city transforms as art fair passages insolites unexpectedly takes over
swedish artist susanna hesselberg buries an out-of-reach library evoking the all-consuming pain of losing a loved one

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‘when my father died it was like a whole library had burned down,’ is the title of susanna hesselberg’s artwork

québec city transforms as art fair passages insolites unexpectedly takes over
local artist sarah thibault architects ‘monumental impermanence’ in gilded baguettes leading to saint-roch church

québec city transforms as art fair passages insolites unexpectedly takes over
for the first time, the performing arts are part of the passages insolites circuit

québec city transforms as art fair passages insolites unexpectedly takes over
quebecois artist pascale leblanc lavigne puts up ten robotic arms with blue cloths to clean ‘the bus shelter’

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the artist’s ironic attempt to automate the upkeep of urban furniture also draws attention to issues of sustainable public transit

québec city transforms as art fair passages insolites unexpectedly takes over
delirious québec collective creates a miniature version of the city reproducing and combining notable local buildings

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with ‘rising waters’, théâtre rude ingénierie imagines a village that has come to a standstill, tide-swept life, referencing the emergency of climate change

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