La Citadelle Villefranche-sur-mer
L’Absurde et le Rêve
Arne Quinze et Joana Vasconcelos
June 20 to October 31, 2026
The Absurd and the Dream, a major exhibition by Belgian sculptor Arne Quinze, opens in the summer of 2026 in the historic setting of the Citadel of Villefranche-sur-Mer. For this ambitious project, Quinze has invited Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos to join him in creating an extraordinary ensemble of works exploring the poetic, the surreal, and the unexpected. In the spirit of Jean Cocteau, whose legacy is deeply rooted in Villefranche-sur-Mer, the exhibition invites visitors to rediscover surrealism and dreaming as essential prisms through which to reflect on the growing distance between contemporary culture and nature—a loss and alienation that Quinze considers profoundly detrimental.
Curated by Camille Frasca, Director of La Citadelle, and Selcan Atilgan, founder of ARTSA Consultancy, the exhibition unfolds throughout the Citadel through monumental outdoor installations and more intimate indoor environments. It offers a unique field of expression for Quinze and Vasconcelos, enabling them to construct a singular and immersive narrative.
Within this universe of the absurd and the dream, Vasconcelos engages in dialogue with Quinze through an electrifying artistic vocabulary shaped by duality, rupture, and transformation.
Her practice brings the domestic into the public sphere, liberating objects traditionally associated with the intimacy of private interiors and projecting them into open, outdoor spaces. In doing so, she challenges established perceptions between inside and outside, private and collective, intimate and monumental. By introducing handcrafted elements and domestic objects into exterior environments—and by playing with dynamics of scale and dimension—she creates an absurd and dreamlike dialogue that transforms familiar objects into unexpected experiences.
Visitors will encounter sculptures and installations as well as video and sound works, alongside collaborations developed with the renowned craftsmanship of Berengo Studio (Murano glass) and Atelier Vierkant (ceramics). These partnerships allow Quinze to push the limits of material expression and give form to his most ambitious visions. The exhibition will also premiere new collaborative works by Quinze and Vasconcelos, weaving together their distinct artistic universes.
In the spirit of Cocteau, the exhibition dissolves the boundaries between the rational and the fantastical, embracing the absurd, the poetic, and the dream. Each space becomes a living canvas, reconnecting history, art, and nature, and inviting visitors into a territory of reflection, curiosity, and wonder.
Informations
Address: La Citadelle, 06230 Villefranche-sur-mer
(c) Arne Quinze & Joana Vasconcelos 2026