Croisée d'Arts

A village transformed into an art gallery

For over twenty years, Croisée d'Arts has transformed the village of Eus into an immense open-air art gallery every first weekend of June. Organized by the ArtZ association, this contemporary art event invites visitors to wander through the cobbled streets, sunny squares, and stone houses of this perched village, classified among the Most Beautiful Villages of France, discovering artworks scattered throughout the town.

Eclecticism and free admission

Croisée d'Arts is based on two founding principles: eclecticism and free admission. The works presented cover a wide spectrum of disciplines: painting, sculpture, photography, installation, digital arts, ceramics, textiles, graffiti, video, land art, and other forms of contemporary expression. The exhibition spaces are as varied as the works: about thirty venues are invested — communal spaces, public squares, galleries, artists' studios in the village, and many private homes whose owners open their doors for the occasion, creating a surprising and intimate artistic journey.

A dialogue between art and heritage

The marriage between contemporary art and the ancestral architecture of Eus creates a unique dialogue between creation and heritage. The stone walls, medieval vaults, panoramic terraces overlooking the Canigou, and secret gardens all become settings for the artworks, offering unexpected perspectives and magnifying both the artistic creations and the architectural setting of the village.

A unifying event

Croisée d'Arts is also a moment of encounter between artists, residents, and visitors. Each year, the ArtZ association launches a call for applications open to artists from all backgrounds, with a selection made by an internal committee (the “In” of about thirty artists), to which are added artists invited by residents who provide venues (the “Off”), as well as the village's artists and artisans who open their studios and galleries — totaling about fifty exhibitors. The involvement of residents, who host artworks in their homes, makes Croisée d'Arts an event deeply rooted in village life and driven by a collective dynamic.