25th Edition of ARTCITÉ – Encounters (A group exhibition in four chapters), Fontenay-sous-bois
September 8 – November 1, 2026
From September 8 to November 1, 2026, the Musée des Arts Derniers will host the 25th edition of ARTCITÉ, an event that has become a major gathering for contemporary art. For this anniversary edition, ARTCITÉ 2026 presents new encounters and brings together around one hundred artists from all over the world, offering a rich diversity of perspectives, sensibilities, and cultures.
Organized into four chapters, this new edition invites visitors to discover the artworks through an evolving exhibition journey unfolding over several weeks.
Susana Zabala will participate in Chapter II, from September 22 to October 4, 2026, with two works: Passages and Ode au soleil.
Chapter II: September 22 – October 4, 2026
The works on display
Passages, The Bridge as a Connection See the artwork
In Passages, Susana Zabala places the bridge at the heart of the composition. It becomes a metaphor for encounter, friendship, and connection: a passage that brings people together, but also connects landscapes.
Around this structure unfolds a world in transformation. The landscape accompanies this process of metamorphosis, while the arrival of spring evokes renewal, rebirth, and the return to life.
The bridge is therefore more than an architectural element. It suggests a path to be traveled, an opportunity to cross over, to meet the other, and to move toward somewhere new. It embodies our essential ability to create connections despite distance and difference.
Ode au soleil, A Prayer to Light See the artwork
With Ode au soleil, Susana Zabala presents a polyptych composed of seven paintings: one large central panel surrounded by six smaller panels. Through its structure, the work evokes the traditional form of an altarpiece, giving the composition an almost spiritual dimension.
The work originates in a deeply human gesture: when faced with distress or uncertainty, we instinctively turn toward a force greater than ourselves. Here, that force is the sun. A source of vital energy, warmth, and light, it becomes the subject of a form of silent prayer. Through this composition, the artist explores the relationship between human beings and the fundamental forces that sustain life.
Ode au soleil invites us to contemplate light not only as a natural phenomenon, but also as an inner, universal, and symbolic force.
Chapter II highlights:
- Opening reception: Tuesday, September 22, 2026, 6:00 – 9:00 PM
- Meet the artist: Thursday, September 24, 2026, 6:00 PM
- Presentation of the works Passages and Ode au soleil, September 22 – October 4, 2026
Opening hours:
- Wednesday through Sunday, 2:00 – 7:00 PM
- Free admission
- Free parking: 26 rue Guérin-Leroux, open 24/7 (entrance by the National Police Station)
Awards ceremony
The ARTCITÉ Prize, Géant des Beaux-Arts Prize, Artension Prize, Aralya Prize, Critics' Prize, and Public Prize will be awarded on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, following the conclusion of the four chapters, during the opening of the exhibition Les Bons Petits Crus at the Musée des Arts Derniers.
Practical information :
Chapter II opening reception on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, 6:00 – 9:00 PM
Musée des Arts Derniers
37 rue Guérin-Leroux, 94120 Fontenay-sous-Bois, France
Wednesday through Sunday, 2:00 – 7:00 PM - Free admission