This art gallery installed on a highway is launching its new season south of Toulouse

This is the first gallery the nature To have settled on a highway area in Europe! To launch its fourth summer season, Art61 reopens its doors on Saturday May 10, 2025 in Port Lauragais, in the commune of Avignonet-Lauragais. It is on this A61 service area that the association Canal Arts Coll’ redeveloped the old Musée de l’Ovalie in A 150 m room² in which many Occitan artists come to exhibit their works.

Each year, exhibitions attract around 3,000 visitors, from May to October. “It’s a lot for an art gallery in the rural world,” says Antoine Chamorropresident of the association. For this summer season, three exhibitions will follow one another, visible every weekend and holidays from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. The first theme will be ” Imagine the future», From Saturday May 10 to Sunday June 29. The opening is scheduled for Sunday, May 11, at 12 noon, with a Musical animation produced by the choir choir of choir.

“We want there to be level”

Sculptors, painters, designers, mosaics … 15 artists selected by the association will deliver their visions of the future through their specialty. Everyone will tackle the subject in their own wayby exploring for example ecological, material or symbolic dimensions. Some will offer dreamlike works, sometimes tinged with science fiction, and others will treat the subject in a more realistic way. “We choose to take wide themes so that artists are not too limited in their way of expressing expressions,” announces Antoine Chamarro to Lauragais voice.

“We do not want it to be the exhibition of the village where everyone can be exposed. We want there to be level ”he continues. His association has found talents that have never been exposed yetas David Hilbertwhich performs acrylic paintings, and David Tomaiuoloa sculptor craftsman installed in Castelnaudary. The other artists with more experiences have been selected for their artistic consistency. “Exhibitors have to really have something to show. We don’t want plagiarism, ”explains the president of Canal Arts Coll ‘.

Who are visitors to this art gallery?

The objective of the association is to cause astonishment among visitors, so that they want to return during the next exhibitions. When launching the art gallery in 2022, only 8 % of visitors came from the highway. last year, This figure rose to 20 %. “Roads have now become used to passing here and they come to visit us every year,” says Antoine Chamarro.

The rest of the visitors come from the surroundings. Indeed, although the gallery is on a highway area, it is also Accessible by the secondary road network or even by the banks of the Canal du Midi.

Other upcoming exhibitions

The other two exhibitions expected this year will be linked to the themes ” Focus on the rural world “, From Saturday July 5 to Sunday August 24, and”Tell me a story», From Saturday August 30 to Sunday October 19. “Each theme has been designed to dialogue with our time and arouse reflection and wonder”, specifiesSilvia Callejonresponsible for the communication of the gallery.

If the association is for non -lucrative purposes and sales within the gallery are not tolerated, agreements outside the building can be carried out. In this case, the artist will have to retrocede15 % of the sale to the associationso that the latter can last.

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