Rehabilitated by architect Bruno Gaudin, the site’s uniqueness is defined by its ability to encourage artistic expression.

The contemporary art center boasts substantial exhibition and development space: some 2,500 m2. These are mainly divided between a large 1,500 m2 hall, 6 m high, and a 500 m2 gallery on the upper floor. These exhibition spaces interact with the exterior of the site, a sculpture park also designed as an exhibition space. In addition, there are production workshops for artists in residence, and workshops for art school students.

The exceptional dimensions of the building direct the artistic project of the contemporary art center towards the valorization of the artist’s work. It is the expression of a desire to be close to the work, directly linked to the creative process taking place in vivo, within the framework of creative residencies.

This appreciation of the artistic gesture is also expressed through a public welcome and cultural action: the public discovers art in the making, and visits are organized around the works and artists welcomed.

Exchanges are built around the notions of workshop, making and an awareness of gesture in its artistic, political and social acceptation. The center’s singular approach is based in part on the desire to imagine other approaches to the work of art.

Public meetings with artists, round-table conferences and texts written by authors in residence regularly enrich this reflection on work as an act of transformation. In this way, Les Tanneries becomes a privileged place for sharing around the works on display.

Director: Éric Degoutte