The Poush Artist Collective Takes Over Château La Coste

The Poush Artist Collective Takes Over Château La Coste

A creative experience through 35 artists who transform a legendary vineyard into a singular artistic landscape

A singular event in an exceptional setting. Thirty-five artists have taken up residence at the iconic Château La Coste, fusing their work with the nature and history of the estate.

The surrealism of a local artist like Florian Monfrini — who transports white stones through a wordless itinerary — stands in vivid contrast to the monumentality of works by celebrated contemporaries Damien Hirst and Louise Bourgeois. Visitors arrive drawn by a Michelin-starred restaurant and a wine cellar designed by Jean Nouvel, yet Monfrini’s presence becomes a symbol of the transition between the everyday and the sublime at Château La Coste, a magnificent estate in the south of France.

Since its founding in 2020, the Poush art center has been home to 270 artists who have found a creative space in a former perfume factory on the outskirts of Paris. That creative energy takes on new life in ‘Par Quatre Chemins‘, where 35 artists engage with the rich experience of the vineyard and its local traditions. Encompassing a diversity of nationalities and practices — from Monfrini’s quiet interventions to complex installations — the exhibition is a lucid reflection of contemporary creativity at its most unguarded.

Art and culture intertwine in a dialogue that awakens the essence of Provence

The artists do not merely exhibit — they immerse themselves in the landscape and culture of the estate. Yvannoé Kruger, director of Poush, explains: “The artists had the freedom to meet the people who live here, the quarry workers and the gardeners, capturing the essence of this land.” That exploration translates into works that respond to the cultural memory and geography of the vineyard — whispers of the terrain itself, like Henri Frachon‘s Sea of Hollows, where each cavity echoes the landscape and every element bears witness to time.

Among the most compelling works is The Guardians by Pauline Guerrier, inspired by traditions from Benin. These totems, draped in fabrics dyed with local pigments, now watch over the exhibition and, symbolically, guard the space against unwelcome presences. Alongside them, the work of Sabine Mirlesse — which incorporates a bell into a small forest — connects contemporary art with the collective memory of local communities, giving voice to a history that refuses to be forgotten.

Château La Coste is celebrated not only for its remarkable art collection but also for its architectural landmarks by masters including Oscar Niemeyer and Richard Rogers. Here, artists engage in dialogue with those iconic structures — as in the case of Marlon de Azambuja, who reflects on Brazilian identity through the transformation of photographs shaped by European influence, drawing the viewer into a searching exploration of cultural roots.

The exhibition runs through June 9, 2025, and promises to be a space for dialogue that is as much cultural and emotional as it is artistic. Each of the 160 works scattered across the vineyard offers a new path of discovery — from the quietly enchanting installation by Sara Favriau, which elevates small everyday objects, to the transformation of tree trunks by Angela Jiménez Durán, a reminder of the importance of the humblest and most often invisible elements of our existence.

Art at Château La Coste does not merely transform the space — it invites visitors to reconsider their connection to nature and community. In the end, what is revealed is something the vineyard has always known: that beauty, when left to its own devices, finds its way home.