10th edition of Passages Insolites
2023 marks the tenth anniversary of Passages Insolites, Québec City’s well-loved public art celebration. Until October 9, the province’s largest public art event features a retrospective route and four distinct circuits to discover the work of 40 artists from Québec and around the world.
Conceived by EXMURO arts publics, and presented by the Ville de Québec, Passages Insolites has unveiled public artworks all around town.
Prominent names include internationally renowned artist Felice Varini, who is presenting a monumental work blending into the iconic architecture of Place Royale. With massive-scale installations like Varini’s alongside miniaturist works, like the playful installations of Swedish collective AnonyMouse (below), contrasting scale is a leitmotif of this year’s event.
Visitors to the Passage Extérieur (outdoor art) circuit can view 18 public artworks in spaces ranging from the Old Port to Place Royale and Petit Champlain. New for the tenth-anniversary edition, the itinerary features the Retro Circuit, a “walk down memory lane” with photographs paying tribute to iconic works from past years.
The Passage Intérieur (indoor exhibitions) unfold at the Passages Insolites epicentre at 27, rue Notre-Dame, where five site-specific installations are in dialogue with the architectural and heritage context of the historic Maison Hazeur, on Place Royale.
Earlier in August, the Passage mural (mural circuit) has brought fresh life to a longstanding graffiti spot, Îlot Fleurie, as 13 muralists created art on the pillars of the Dufferin-Montmorency overpass. This joint project between Street Art In Action, Québec Nova Murale, and EXMURO extends beyond the closing of Passages Insolites 2023 in order to give as many people as possible the opportunity to visit.
The Passage Ephémère (ephemeral interventions) is a series of public art performances running from June to October 2023. Once a month, pop-up street performances and participatory installations will dazzle and delight visitors with an immersive experience in the wonderment of Passages Insolites.
With a programming philosophy that values parity and diversity, the talents of Indigenous artists figure prominently in Passages Insolites 2023, with six Wendat artists and one Atikamekw artist.
Picture courtesy of F6-IMAGE
The 2023 tenth edition started with an opening ceremony on June 22 at Place Royale, with Andicha n'de Wendat, an all-women drum collective from Wendake, performing traditional song and dance along with a smudging ceremony in front of Québec City’s Notre-Dame-des-Victoires church. Coming the day after National Indigenous Peoples’ Day, this emotionally resonant collective gesture represents a moment of celebration of Indigenous joy and decolonial reconciliation in the public space.
The Passages Insolites public art event is on in Québec City until October 9, 2023.
Read the previous article on Passages Insolites 2021 here
