For the 9th edition of Passages Insolites, Vincent Roy and his team pulled off a huge coup. A work by Chinese humanitarian activist artist Ai Weiwei will be installed at the heart of a public art trail offered from June 25 to October 10.
Seventeen works created by 18 local, national and international artists will be displayed over 2.5 kilometers in the historic sectors of Place-Royale, Petit-Champlain and the Old Port. Works that will amaze people and tourists who visit the route and who will be surprised.
Ai Weiwei’s large-scale public artwork, titled Life Jackets, will be on view from July 5. This will be a North American first. The internationally renowned Chinese artist is recognized for his committed, iconoclastic and subversive practice.
Weiwei rarely travels, and his team will be on site to install this work.
Vincent Roy says he threw a kind of bottle into the sea two years ago when he contacted the Chinese artist’s studio.
“I had no response and sent another message last winter. I got feedback and we started to see if it could be possible. Our friendly side and the quality of what we present have certainly worked in our favor. It’s something huge,” he said in an interview.
More engaged
This presence could prove to be profitable and lead, in the future, to a greater international representation.
“We are heading towards that and we will welcome more and more,” he added.
Accessible, family-friendly and fun in its infancy, the 9th edition will have a more committed flavor.
“It’s a direct dialogue with the citizen with more committed works that question the fundamental issues and failings of our societies,” said Vincent Roy, adding that the surprise and wonder, signature of this event, are always at the heart of this event. appointment.
Set up last summer, in a context of pandemic and distancing, the artistic ambushes will be back from June 25 to July 5 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Artists from FLIP Fabrique, the Kata theater and the Le CRue dance company will offer around twenty short surprise performances here and there along the route.
The Bad Art Museum will be back at Maison Hazeur, at 27 rue Notre-Dame in Place-Royale, which will be the headquarters of the 9th edition of Les Passages Insolites, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is also possible to take part in full and partial visits, for a fee, with a professional guide from the beginning of July until the end of August.
The artist Gabrielle Laïla Tittley, alias PONY, nicknamed the queen of fun, is the ambassador of this 9th edition of Passages insolites. This is a first. She will guide visitors during the launch on June 25 at 3 p.m. She has also signed the podcast “Soif d’insolites”, available on Spotify, where she will present the work and intentions of the participating artists. She also signs the illustration of the official jersey of the event.
You can get more information on passagesinsolites.com.