For centuries, farms in the « Pays Fort » (meaning “Strong Country”) boasted pyramidal barns. Their mysterious presence towers above the hamlets of this small region: they appear now as an emblematic heritage of this territory proud of its strong identity, situated in between the Sologne and Sancerre counties in the Berry province.
Pyramidal barn at Vailly-sur-Sauldre
The contemporary art course allons voir!aims at bringing a new life to these typical buildings from the North of the Cher department in France as well as different other buildings typical of rural life in center France : wash houses, silos, farms, etc.
It develops over several villages of this region, and each year a new curator selects the artists.
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allons voir ! 7th edition
The seventh edition of allons voir! took place from July 5th to October 5th 2025.
The curator was Émilie d’Ornano. The invited artists were : Emilie Breux, Jeanne Chopy, Cédricd Esturille, Aurore-Caroline Marty, Lucas Zambon, and two young graduates from the National Superior School of Art of Bourges : Juliette Férey, et Xiyu Huang.
Emilie Breux
Eyes Wide Cute, Émilie Breux, 2025, installation à la grange pyramidale de Vailly-sur-Sauldre, Photo Lucas Zambon
Jeanne Chopy
Laver l’amour, Jeanne Chopy, 2025, installation au lavoir de Barlieu, Photo Lucas Zambon
Cédric Esturillo
Litha, Cédric Esturillo, 2025, dimensions : 160 x 60 x 257 cm, photo Lucas Zambon
Wician I – V, Cédric Esturillo, 2025, Photo Lucas Zambon
Juliette Férey
Le sillage de l’eau, Juliette Férey, Photo @ Xiyu Huang
Xiyu Huang
Rêve, Xiyu Huang, 2023, Photo @Lucas Zambon
Aurore-Caroline Marty
De mes yeux, Aurore-Caroline,2025, Photo Lucas Zambon
Piste d’apparition N°1-II, Lucas Zambon, 2025, Photo Lucas Zambon
Pistes, Lucas Zambon, 2022-2025, Photo @Lucas Zambon
allons voir ! sixth edition
The sixth edition of allons voir! took place from July 6th to September 22nd 2024.
The curator was Anne-Laure Chamboissier. The invited artists were : Bernard Calet, Paul Mignard, Martine Royer-Valentin, Anne-Laure Sacriste, Ségolène Thuillart, and two young graduates from the National Superior School of Art of Bourges : Cassandra Delpy and Louise Arnette.
Bernard Calet
Universel Brasier (vue d’ensemble), 2024, installation pérenne de Bernard Calet, pierres de feu, photo Olvier Botta
Cassandra Delpy
Urtica (2023), pyrogravure sur papier d’ortie, photo allons voir
Paul Mignard
Visions de la nuit (verso), 2024, pigments sur toile libre, 280×650 cm, photo Olivier Botta
Martine Royer-Valentin
À fleur d’eau, installation au lavoir de Dampierre en Crot, Photo Olivier Botta
Des ronds dans l’eau, installation au lavoir de Concressault, Photo Olivier Botta
Anne-Laure Sacriste
Etendards, iinstalaltion dans la,grange pyramidale du Jolmiveau (Assigny), Photo Olivier BottaEchos (2024)
Bois, laque, pigments, dimensions : 60 x 60 cm
Ségolène thuillart et Louise Arnette
Le bois a des oreilles, le champ a des yeux (2024)
Installation sonore et textile
allons voir ! 5th edition
The fifth edition of allons voir ! took place from July 1st to september 19th 2023. The curator was Yves Sabourin. The invited artists were : Elise Beaucousin, Baptiste Debombourg, Laurent Esquerré, David Marin, Frédérique Petit, Martine Schildge, and two young graduates from the National Superior School of Art of Bourges : Xiaohan Guo and Florian Lecesve.
Elise Beaucousin
« Steel drawing », at Concressault’s water house, wood pannel,pins
« Lampsana communis », at Joliveau’s pyramidal barn (Assigny), aluminium sheet, metal,
David Marin
« Rotofil », at Moulin Riche (Concressault), gold , bronze and linen thread over linen cloth
Frédérique Petit
« Huttes », at Vailly-sur-Sauldre’s pyramidal barn, ceramic, steel
Martine Schildge
« Au fil de l’eau », at Barlieu’s wash house, 3 photos over aluminium sheet, aluminium sheets
Xiaohan Guo
« ton corps est une extension de mon corps », atat Dampierre-en-Crot’s microbrewery, ceramic
Florian Lecesve
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allons voir ! 4th edition : A country wedding party
The fourth edition of allons voir ! took place from July 2nd to September 18th 2022. The curator was Sophie Auger Grappin (director of the « Creux de l’Enfer » contemporary art center). The invited artists were : Karine Bonneval, Delphine Ciavaldini, Claude Pasquer, Marjolaine Turpin, Vladimir Skoda as well as two young graduates from the National Superior School of Art of Bourges –Léa Devenelle and Paul Ricci.
The third edition of allons voir ! took place from July 3rd to September 19th 2021. The curator was Gunther Ludwig and the invited artists were : Ladislas Combeuil, Chourouk Hriech, Tsama do Paço, Jeanne Tzaut, Thomas Wattebled as well as two young graduates from the National Superior School of Art of Bourges — Hana Kokolo and Thomas Bontemps – and one from the School of art and design of Tours — Hannah Barantin.
Ladislas Combeuil
Hanging landscapes, 2021, wood, painting, and Wandering rocks from Tony Smith, 2019, wood, linen, rope, at Recy’s pyramidal barn, photo Olivier Botta
Sierpinski, 2016, concrete, diamètre 280 cm, at Joliveau’s pyramidal barn (Vinon), photo Roland Schar
Chourouk Hriech
Sea at Moulin Riche, 2021, photo print on fabric, drawing on tarpaulin, painting, at Moulin Riche (Concressault), photo Chourouk Hriech
Sea at Moulin Riche, 2021, photo allons voir
Tsama do Paço
Me Tangere (detail), 2021, rabbit-skin glue, thread, lead, paper, glass, at Joliveau’s pyramidal barn (Assigny), photo Olivier Botta
She collapses constantly, epidermic version (detail), 2019, water, latex, cotton thread, clay, rubber, dimensions: 200x100x150 cm, at La Clef du Récit winery (Vinon), photo Olivier Botta
Jeanne Tzaut
Streaks (2021), wood, painting, rough cast, several dimensions, at Badineau’s silos (Barlieu), photo Olivier Botta
Stratums, 2021, wood, painting, rough cast, dimensions 175×190 cm, at Vailly-sur-Sauldre’s pyramidal barn, photo Olivier Botta
Thomas Wattebled
Lukewarm, 2021, plasterboard and smoke detectors, dimensions 300x200x120 cm, at Vailly-sur-Sauldre’s pyramidal barn, photo Olivier Botta
I’m waiting that you, 2016, wooden chairs, acrylic painting on plexiglass, at Joliveau’s pyramidal barn (Assigny), photo allons voir
Hannah Barantin
The Room, 2021, felt over silk screen, steel, at Vailly-sur-Sauldre’s pyramidal barn, photo Olivier botta
Thomas Bontemps
Hold up & hands on heart, 2021, publishing of a short story, digital photo prints and lithographies, at Moulin Riche, (Concressault), photo allons voir
Hannah Kokolo
Red and Black from Brazza, 2019, clay,oxydes, at Moulin Riche (Concressault), photo Olivier Botta
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allons voir ! 2nd edition
The artistic direction of the 2020 edition of the event was entrusted to Lucile Encrevé, art critic, and presents only female artists. The invited artists were Dominique De Beir, Ingrid Luche, Nadia Pasquer, and Heidi Wood, as well as two young emerging artists just graduated from the National Superior School of Art of Bourges, Lou Froehlicher and Tifaine Coignoux.
The FRAC Centre Val de Loire also collaborated with the loan of a piece by Maria Mallo: Germen Radiolario.
Germen Radiolario by Maria Mallo, at Vailly-sur-Sauldre pyramidal barn (collection FRAC Centre – Val de Loire
The event took place at the following sites :
Assigny, at the Joliveau farm owned since the 16th century by the Lelièvre family. The pyramidal barn was built in 1505 and is surrounded by several other buildings (housing, stables, workshop) around an old paved yard.
L’échappée Belle : installation by Dominique De Beir at the Joliveau pyramidal barn in Assigny (2020)
Barlieu, at the Badineau silo site: there one can see a modern rural architecture, as a pendent to the historical pyramidal barns.
Point de passage installation by Hedi Wood at the Badineau silo at Barlieu (2020)
Concressault, at the Moulin Riche one enjoys a water-mill, a pyramidal barn (registered as a historical monument), a sheep barn, a bread oven, and housings in a bucolic surroundings planted with century old trees.
Entre ciel et terre : installation by Nadia Pasquer at the Moulin Riche barn in Concressault (2020)
Dièse (detail) : installation by Lou Froehlicher at the Moulin Riche (2020)
Container nuages (detail) : installation by Tifaine Coignoux at the Moulin riche in Concressault (2020)
In Vailly-sur-Sauldre, an old pyramidal barn coming from the neighboring village of Thou has been rebuilt at the entrance of the village, and hosts now the Tourism office and a rural museum.
La Porte d’Optat : installation by Ingrid Luche at Vailly-sur-Sauldre pyramidal barn (2020)
Allons voir! is supported by :
French Ministry of Culture / Regional Direction for Cultural Affairs (DRAC) Center – Loire Valley
Center – Loire Valley Region
Cher Department Council (CD18)
Sancerre-Pays Fort-Val de Loire town council community
The city council of Vailly-sur-Sauldre
The city council of Barlieu
The city council of Concressault
Sponsoring
Martignon SAS
It benefits from the collaboration of :
Bourges National Superior School of Art (ENSA Bourges)
FRAC (Regional Fund for Contemporary Art) Center – Loire Valley
Cher Department Tourism Office (Ad2T-Berry Province)
