From September 4–6, 2026, Artistics will take part for the first time in Les Traversées du Marais, the annual cultural festival that transforms Paris’s historic Marais district into a vibrant destination for artistic discovery. This year’s edition is centered on the theme “Dialogues.” For the occasion, Artistics presents a special program dedicated to French sculptor Cécile Raynal, bringing together an exhibition of sculptures and screenings of the documentary Sculpter la mémoire by Jean-Marie Gigon, followed by conversations with the artist.
An Artistic Practice Rooted in Encounter
Cécile Raynal’s work resonates deeply with the festival’s theme. Dialogue — the act of reaching toward another person — lies at the very heart of her sculptural practice.
For more than thirty years, the artist has moved her studio into places that are often closed off, overlooked, or set apart from everyday life: prisons, hospitals, retirement homes, convents, maternity wards, and cargo ships at sea. There, she invites residents, patients, workers, or travelers to sit for a sculpted portrait.
These works carry within them the conversations shared during the sitting — fragments of memory, personal stories, moments of trust that emerge within the suspended time of the encounter. In Raynal’s hands, sculpture becomes a space for listening, remembrance, and human connection.
Made from grogged clay and fired using a process inspired by Japanese Raku techniques, her sculptures possess a striking presence that feels both fragile and deeply embodied.
Exhibition
A selection of sculptures by Cécile Raynal will be on view throughout the festival.
Through portraits, animal figures, and narrative assemblages, the exhibition invites visitors into an artistic universe where each sculpture bears witness to a real or imagined encounter, an exchange, and a shared memory.
Screening & Conversation: Sculpter la mémoire
Directed in 2023 by Jean-Marie Gigon, Sculpter la mémoire documents the encounter between Cécile Raynal and Pierre Rolinet, a French Resistance fighter and survivor of the Natzweiler-Struthof concentration camp.
Over the course of one week, the artist sculpts the portrait of Rolinet — aged 98 at the time of filming — as he shares his personal history and memories of the camps. The film captures both the gradual emergence of the sculpture and a profoundly human moment of transmission and remembrance.
Recipient of a 2025 Scam Étoile Award, this 52-minute documentary will be screened several times during the festival, with each screening followed by a discussion with the artist.
About Les Traversées du Marais
Founded in 2015 by the Marais Culture+ network, Les Traversées du Marais is a free annual cultural festival that transforms the Marais into a large-scale journey through art, heritage, and performance. Museums, cultural institutions, memorials, art centers, and galleries open their doors to the public for exhibitions, performances, concerts, workshops, and special events.
The festival’s “Satellite Galleries” program highlights galleries that actively contribute to the neighborhood’s cultural vitality while fostering accessible and engaging encounters with contemporary art.
Practical Information
Artistics
16 rue de Turbigo
75002 Paris
Métro Étienne Marcel
Dates : Friday, September 4 – Sunday, September 6, 2026
- Exhibition of sculptures by Cécile Raynal
- Screenings of Sculpter la mémoire (reservation required, screening times to be announced)
- Conversations with the artist
