The troglodytic houses of the Château des Baux-de-Provence open up to contemporary art by welcoming the École Supérieure d’Art d’Avignon.
The Château reaffirms its commitment to contemporary creation and support for artists by inaugurating new exhibition spaces within this exceptional heritage site: the troglodytic houses.
These unique spaces, shaped by erosion and carrying centuries of memory, will now be dedicated to showcasing contemporary works created by students and associated artists.
Called Anachronistic Exhibitions, these artistic encounters will offer an unprecedented dialogue between heritage and creation, between traces of the past and contemporary perspectives.
I am resting
Ayla Aktan / Resident Artist ESAA (École Supérieure d’Art d’Avignon)
For me, weaving is a way of embedding my thoughts into the material. Inspired by kilims, whose patterns once served as the intimate language of the women who wove them, I continue this tradition by replacing motifs with words, opening them more directly to the world.
I am resting was created especially for this site. Conceived during a period of respite after completing my art degree, the tapestry reflects both the need for rest and the impossibility, for an artist, of ever truly stopping the creative process. Even when the hands are still, the mind continues to weave new ideas.
Installed within this troglodyte cave, the work invites visitors to pause for a moment and reflect on what it means, today, to truly rest.
The Penguin Campaign: A Study of Semantic Closure
Ziyu Zhou / Resident Artist ESAA (École Supérieure d’Art d’Avignon)
Set within the former troglodyte dwellings of the Château des Baux-de-Provence, this exhibition offers an original immersive experience blending history, fiction, and satire. Inspired by the novel Penguin Island by Anatole France, the artist imagines a modern penguin society shaped by political campaigns and advertising messages.
Through visual installations, slogans, and a playful, offbeat universe, the exhibition invites visitors to reflect on the power of language and imagery in a journey that is both surprising and engaging.
Dance of the Jars – Oussama Mahdhi
Oussama Mahdhi / Resident Artist ESAA (École Supérieure d’Art d’Avignon)
Dance of the Jars is an installation by Oussama Mahdhi inspired by raqs al-juzur, a tradition still alive in some regions of southern Tunisia, at the heart of the troglodyte landscapes of Matmata. In this dance, the jar remains balanced despite the body’s movement: a subtle knowledge passed down and refined through generations.
The installation assembles fragments and reimagined forms of this jar. Each element suggests a fragile continuity, a heritage in transformation, much like memories that are passed on yet never remain the same.