Do you have a trip to France coming up? Then plan a visit to the Utopia festival, running until October 3, 2022 in the city of Lille, in the north of the country. The event promises large-scale projects, such as exhibitions, urban metamorphoses, performances and conferences involving artists from several countries, including Brazilians.
33 exhibitions, with a Brazilian among the highlights
The program includes 33 exhibitions, such as Les vivant, by the Fondation Cartier Pour L'art Contemporain, which highlights the work No caminho (2021), by Brazilian artist Bruno Novelli, among the more than 250 on display.
A nine-metre olfactory installation
Another highlight is the installation Flower Fragrum Cardamomi, by artist Peter de Cupere, in the Sainte-Marie-Madeleine church, part of the exhibition Le Jardin d'Eden. It is a monumental work, nine meters high, installed on the church's altar, which invites visitors to come closer and touch the installation for an olfactory experience.
What lille3000 is
Utopia is the 6th edition of the lille3000 project, which began in 2004, when the city was declared European Capital of Culture, with the aim of transforming the local and regional cultural dynamic in a lasting way.
This year, the theme evokes the concept created by Thomas More in the 16th century, which today commonly refers to an ideal of the future, as the event's promotional material explains:
"At a time of climate change and environmental issues, Utopia will focus on the bonds that unite humans with other living beings. Rather than perpetuating an anthropocentric conception of the world, Utopia will offer the visions of artists, inventors, creators and scientists who question the hierarchy between man and nature."
