February is set to be colorful. While Matisse lights up the Bassins des Lumières, Frida Kahlo makes a dazzling appearance at the Bordeaux Bassins des Lumières. Through these two distinct experiences, the cultural center orchestrates a unique dialogue between two giants of 20th-century art, featuring monumental projections, immersive music, and an unparalleled staging experience.
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© Culturespaces-Geoffroy Groult
A Majestic Immersion into Matisse’s Art
The Symphony of Colors invites you to journey through the entire artistic evolution of Henri Matisse, from his sunlit Nice interiors to the famous cut-out papers of his maturity. The experience makes the walls of the old submarine base resonate, transformed into a glowing theater.
Constructed like a sensory voyage, the exhibition follows the major transformations of the artist: his Fauvist revolution, his explorations of color as a language, and then his final quest for purity with the stained glass windows of the Rosary Chapel in Vence, which form the spiritual conclusion of the program. Designed for all audiences, the experience blends iconic works, biographical fragments, and...visual interpretations and contemporary soundtrack.
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© Culturespaces-Geoffroy Groult
Frida Kahlo: a short high-intensity program
In addition to the Matisse exhibition, the Bassins des Lumières offers an immersive 14-minute capsule about Frida Kahlo: Frida Kahlo, in the heart of it all. Presented as a short program, the additional experience is designed to provide an intimate and contrasting reflection of Matisse's vibrant colors.
Through her self-portraits, organic symbols, floral patterns, and most iconic works (The Two Fridas, The Broken Column, Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace...), the audience plunges into the inner life of the Mexican artist, torn between pain,resilience and self-assertion. This intense and emotional breathing highlights another way of embracing color: more visceral, more autobiographical, more instinctive.
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© Culturespaces-Geoffroy Groult
Two Contemporary Creations Side by Side
This setup is complemented by two proposals within the Cube that engage in dialogue with the great names of modern art:
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The Escape of Lines, a hypnotic installation by Olivier Ratsi, where light, geometry, and perception intertwine in a disorienting ballet.
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Oniria, a dreamlike experience by Femme Fatale Studio, created with artificial intelligence around the material of dreams.