Image: Centre international d'art et du paysage de Vassivière
The Centre international d'art et du paysage de Vassivière has opened 'Alors nous irons trouver la couleur ailleurs', an exhibition that brings together major and emerging artists around a shared aim: developing concrete alternatives to toxic colours from local plant and mineral resources. The exhibition is on view until 30 August 2026, with free daily visits offered from 11 am to 1 pm and from 2 pm to 6 pm.
The institution’s newsletter presents the project as a collective artistic proposition rather than a single-artist show. The listed participants are Yto Barrada, Cécile Bart, Louise Bourgeois, Flavie Cournil, Pierre Creton, Marinette Cueco, Susanne Kriemann, Aliki van der Kruijs, Derek Jarman, Charlotte Marembert, Mathias Mareschal, Liliana Motta, Yann Mingard, Emmanuelle Nègre, Lucie Ponard, Lou Ramage, Clara Salomon, Anaïs Tondeur and Cécile Vignau. Arnaud Dubois is named as curator.
At the centre of the exhibition is a practical and environmental question: how to invent colour using what is available locally, and how to do so without relying on toxic materials. The wording of the announcement places vegetable and mineral resources at the heart of the project, suggesting that the exhibition links artistic practice to processes of gathering, making and testing. That emphasis also aligns with the institution’s broader setting on the Île de Vassivière, where landscape, site and contemporary art often intersect.
The exhibition opened on 9 July 2026 at the Centre international d'art et du paysage de Vassivière in Vassivière, France. According to the announcement, visitors can attend on their own every day through 30 August, and guided visits are scheduled for Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 11:30 am. The newsletter directs readers to an accompanying visit offer linked to the exhibition, though it does not add further details beyond the schedule.
The institution’s newsletter situates 'Alors nous irons trouver la couleur ailleurs' within a broader summer programme at the CIAPV. Alongside the exhibition, the same communication lists workshops and visits extending through 31 August, including 'Couleur pousse-pousse' for ages 3 to 6 on Thursdays and Fridays at 11 am, and 'Palette du jardin' for ages 6 to 12 on Thursdays and Fridays at 3 pm. These activities are described as being linked to the exhibition and to the island environment.
Two other date-specific activities are also announced in relation to the show: 'Cueillir la couleur' on Thursday 23 July and Tuesday 4 August at 10 am, led with Chantal Ballot from the Jardin des Simples on the island of Vassivière, and 'Yoga Patanjali' on Tuesdays 7, 21 and 28 July, and 4 and 11 August at 9:30 am. The newsletter also mentions guided visits to the Bois de sculptures on Tuesdays except 14 July, but keeps that offer separate from the colour exhibition itself.
The CIAPV describes itself as a national-interest contemporary art centre funded by the Région Nouvelle-Aquitaine and the French Ministry of Culture, and notes that its building, designed by Aldo Rossi and Xavier Fabre, is recognised as a 'Architecture contemporaine remarquable'. The exhibition and bookshop are open daily in July and August from 11 am to 1 pm and 2 pm to 6 pm, with 'Alors nous irons trouver la couleur ailleurs' continuing through 30 August 2026.
