Artistic immersion on the edge of chaos
Quebec City, April 2, 2025 - If spring marks the return of fine weather, it is also synonymous with new programming to theEXMURO public area! After a highly successful first year, welcoming nearly 100,000 people to its heritage building in the heart of Place-Royale, EXMURO returns with a bold and resolutely committed program.
From May 16, 2025 to January 4, 2026the public will be able to experience art experienceat l'Aire publique, exploring the tensions between the individual, power and the environment under the theme art on the edge of chaos. The program will highlight three major figures in contemporary art: Martin Bureau (Québec), Pipilotti Rist (Switzerland) and Isaac Cordal (Spain).
A powerful scenography at the crossroads of poetry and chaos
For its new season, the Aire publique will be transformed into a veritable theater for artistic explorationwhere the forces of nature take center stage. The three artists plunge us into a collective awareness of the urgent need to act, reminding us that every collapse holds the promise of renewal.
Isaac Cordal will take over one of the Aire publique galleries with Follow the leadersan in situ installation evoking the ruins of a world in perdition. His intervention will continue outdoors with Cement Eclipsesa series of 45 miniature sculptures on rue Saint-Pierre, in Quebec City's Old Port district. The artist will install his works on several former bank facades, recalling the history of this district once dubbed Quebec City's "Wall Street".
On his side, Martin Bureau will hire a powerful artistic dialogueoscillating between dark humor, social criticism and environmental commitment with the sculptural installation Pretend Eden, for a while chaos. Through his multidisciplinary approach, he will shed light on the excesses of capitalism and ecological upheavals, encouraging collective reflection on our relationship with the world.
Finally, Pipilotti Rist will illuminate the 17th-century stone walls, historic vaults and large windows visible from the côte de la Montagne thanks to three of his iconic works: Ever is over all, Open my Glade and Sip my Ocean. These vibrant, hypnotic video projections plunge visitors into a sensory universe that floats between lyricism and subversion.
Please note that to prepare for the installation of the new works, the EXMURO Public Area will close temporarily from March 31 to May 15, 2025.
An original collaboration with Ateliers Belleville
EXMURO will be unveiling other surprises between now and its reopening, including a major project in partnership with Ateliers Belleville, a Montreal-based artistic hub. Presented in Old Quebec in summer 2025, this co-presentation will offer a participatory artistic experience that revisits an iconic precision game from popular culture.
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About EXMURO art public
Beyond the walls, EXMURO shakes up codes and surprises with its artistic interventions. Since 2007, under the artistic direction of Vincent Roy, the organization has been designing, producing and distributing public artworks in Quebec and abroad.
EXMURO also runs the Aire publique, a contemporary art space located in our heritage building in the heart of Place Royale in Quebec City. This inclusive space makes art accessible to all. Conceived as a place to live and exchange, it houses a café-boutique and a co-working space.
EXMURO art public would like to thank its partners:
