The 10th edition of Passages Insolites is taking place from June 22 until October 9, 2023, bringing together artists from around the world. The public art circuit is presented by the City of Quebec and created by EXMURO arts public to showcase a retrospective artistic path through the city, recalling the event’s previous editions. The public art event takes place every summer in Quebec City in in the Place Royale, Petit Champlain and Old Port districts. This year, the event presents works of art from 40 artists, headlined by Felice Varini, who presents a monumental three-dimensional work at Place-Royale.
This year’s theme celebrates the legacy of Passages Insolites previous editions, exploring artistic diversity and highlighting Indigenous artists’ talent and cultural richness, highlighting the works of six Wendat artists and one Atikamekw artist. The program also includes performances, ephemeral installations, a mural component along with indoor exhibition, promising “a walk down memory lane” to pay tribute to memorable works from previous years. As part of the Ephemeral Passage, street performances and participatory installations will surprise visitors every month throughout the event.
Read on to discover some of the outdoor circuit attractions and indoor exhibitions.
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Passages Insolites, the Public Art Circuit Explores Unexpected Public Spaces in the City of QuébecBig Other, 2023 / Pierre&Marie (Quebec)
Buildings adorned with emoji-like googly eyes create a personified effect, unsettlingly reminiscent of surveillance. This playful yet oppressive imagery mirrors the dual nature of social networks, masking data capture behind seemingly harmless content and emojis.
Little Quebec, 2023 / AnonyMouse (Sweden)
This anonymous collective creates miniature dioramas set into foot-level openings in urban facades, offering a peak into a parallel mouse world where discarded human-created objects shape new and intricate habitats. Scattered throughout Place Royale and the Old Port, small-scale travel agencies, radio stations and homeless rodent shelters offer a glimpse into this imagined world that parallels our own.
Radical Nature, 2023 / Baptiste Debombourg (France)
Scattered around the neighborhood, these anachronistic vehicles bridge the gap between the Stone Age and our modern leisure culture. The Flintstones’-inspired vehicles are literally set in stone, leading to a paradoxical monumentality, a symbol of the human power to impose ourselves onto the natural environment for recreational pleasure.
Merry-go-view, 2023 / Camille Rajotte (Quebec)
This interactive installation prompts a shift from rushed travel to reflective exploration. Open seats invite people to pedal, initiating a leisurely circular motion that offers a fresh perspective, encouraging a deeper connection with the surrounding world.
Double interlaced concentric circles, 2023 / Felice Varini (Switzerland/France)
Moving beyond the traditional flat canvas, Felice Varini employs architectural settings and urban landscapes as three-dimensional canvases for his large-scale, monochromatic compositions. Viewers are invited to explore the fragmented perspectives until a distinct vantage point is discovered, unveiling the cohesive optical puzzle in its complete form.
The Era of the American Dream, 2023 / Jasmin Bilodeau (Quebec)
Against the urban backdrop, the spectral outline of a pioneer house emerges as a hazy sculpture, creating the illusion of visual vibration despite its static nature. Crafted from aluminum, the log cabin’s size contrasts its surroundings, paying tribute to the vernacular architecture of early settlers and unveiling blurry recollections of the past.
Birds of a Feather, 2023 / Cooke-Sasseville and MC Grou (Quebec)
Three oversized birds surround a giant can. Recalling a previous installment of Passage Insolites, the Odyssey / L’Odyssée, by duo Cooke-Sasseville from the very first edition ten years ago, this emblematic work was repainted by muralist MC Grou and endowed with new significance. MC Grou’s stenciling technique will also be on display at the PASSAGE MURAL program at the Îlot Fleuri underpass, opening August 12.
Kakike Ickote (Eternal Fire), 2023 / Eruoma Awashish (Opitciwan community, Atikamekw Nehirowisiw Nation)
The vaulted cellars in Place Royale, remnants of New France, earned the square its reputation as the "cradle of French culture in North America". Eruoma Awashish has transformed these historic spaces into an animist haven, where animals like crows, bears, and moose reside. Using underground tunnels, once used for storing fur trade goods, Awashish melds Christian and Atikamekw elements to decolonize the sacred and honor heritage.
Family Gathering, 2019 / Ludovic Boney (Quebec)
Nested within a temporary car shelter, an uncanny series of domestic vignettes emerges, reminiscent of family gatherings in 1970s bungalows. Moving through the structure, resembling the longhouses of the Huron-Wendat Nation, reveals scenes like a garage-turned-cold-room and an attic filled with outdoor gear, evoking a nostalgic sense of memory and familiarity.
Lulling Time, 2016
Lulling Time softly guides us into a world of innocence, where attendees recline in rocking chairs outfitted with integrated speakers. These chairs cocoon lullabies were recorded by volunteers within a nearby camper van-studio. The outcome is a profoundly meditative experience, gently swaying to the cadence of calming melodies. This immersive, interactive installation cultivates connections, preserving and sharing invaluable fragments of our shared heritage and emotional recollections.
