A while ago I found out that next to the place where I’m having my – much talked about – sewing classes, there was a pottery studio. As I always wanted to try this craft, I decided to sign up for classes there too. And so in September I’ll be getting my hands dirty and I’ll be finding out if I have any talent. So much anticipation. Ghaha.

In the meantime the teacher who is hosting the classes sent out an invitation for an art exhibition she was part of in a nearby fort. We had always seen that specific fort high up on a hill, but never realised we could visit the place. The exhibition gave us a good excuse in this rainy weekend to explore some more of our surroundings and visit this historical landmark.

Fort Barraux

Fort Barraux is a very old fortified building in the Isere. The first bricks were laid out in 1597 and in the many centuries of its existence it was used for defence purposes, but also as a prison by its numerous occupants. This was even the case in the last two world wars. Nowadays it’s a protected historic buildings that can be visited during summer time with guided visits.

The view from this place is really breathtaking, even though we arrived on a cloudy day. It sits in the middle of the valley and therefore it has a 360 degrees view of the surrounding mountains. Only for this it’s worth visiting. We were one day too early for the guided visits, so I can’t say too much about the interior. But I’m sure it’s impressing, along with the stories it tells.

The only thing I really missed here was a place where we could have a drink and a nice cake. There were so many nice buildings in the fort to build a nice hipster cafe. But I guess I have to adjust myself to French manners and stop expecting frivolousness at historical landmarks or museums. And fair is fair, we didn’t come for the slow-coffee, but for the art exhibition!

Artis-Barraux

And the current exhibition was really nice. You never know what to expect in France (or anywhere else) with local artist exhibitions. But I really enjoyed visiting this one. I found many works funny, beautiful or contemporary in different ways. I’m sharing a few in the images below. These were my favourites.

And if you are wondering which ones are from my future ceramics teacher. They are the ones shown under the name Anne Louise Margerit. I really loved that piece. I also realised I was mostly impressed by art that referred to nature, or more specific to mountains. Who knows, maybe I’m somehow integrating?

Nicole LE MEN:

Patrick AVAVIAN:

Anne Louise MARGERIT:

Unfortunately I couldn’t find the names of all the artists at the pieces itself. If you happen to know the artists of some of this pieces, do contact me and I will gladly link them to the images.

Owh and remember, you can only visit this exhibition until 15 May. So be quick!

FIN !