Les Extatiques 2023
Organized by Paris La Défense and the Département des Hauts-de-Seine, the contemporary art exhibition Les Extatiques returns from June 22nd to October 1st 2023 for a sixth edition on the theme of the 4 elements. A new contemplative itinerary that invites you to discover works, some of them never seen before, from the esplanade of La Défense to the gardens of La Seine Musicale in Boulogne-Billancourt.
Through a narrative and a renewed look at urban spaces, Les Extatiques offers a sensitive and artistic stroll through exceptional architectural panoramas, from the esplanade of La Défense to the gardens of La Seine Musicale. The 8 international artists invited this year - Joëlle Allet, Amélie Bertrand, Jérémy Gobé, Philip Haas, Cornelia Konrads, Julien Salaud, Bob Verschueren and Erwin Wurm - create new monumental works, some of them specially conceived for the occasion, which find a new dimension in grandiose settings. And for the very first time, some artists are exhibiting an emblematic work simultaneously on both sites. These "mirror" creations underline the link between Paris La Défense and La Seine Musicale, offering a contemporary vision of the Hauts-de-Seine department's "valley of culture", while highlighting the artists' own concerns and interpretations.
The 4 elements
At a time when the words "climate" and "ecology" are more than ever at the heart of our concerns, and when the notions of "change" and "mutation" are fuelling major contemporary issues, Fabrice Bousteau, curator of the exhibition, offers us an artistic urban stroll around 13 monumental works at Paris La Défense and La Seine Musicale. This year's theme? The 4 elements: fire, air, water and earth. The artistic approach focuses on the natural elements that make up the two sites, creating a resonance: concrete, metal or glass; minerality or vegetation; water or wind; musicality; verticality; insularity... Rich and symbolic, this theme opens up new perspectives!