Freeing the Voices

When words and sounds can sometimes become instruments of manipulation and domination, the artists seek to restore voices to those from whom they have been stolen. In societies marked by the rise of populisms, the expansion of artificial intelligence, and the multiplication of conflicts on a global scale, the voice is far from free; yet the works presented here share a common horizon: its emancipation, both individual and collective.

In a world where it has become urgent to invent new forms of expression and rethink our relationship with others, the Cité internationale des arts, a residency dedicated to contemporary creation that has welcomed artists from diverse backgrounds and a wide range of practices since 1965, offers a safe space where every voice is free to unfold.

The artists brought together in this exhibition root their practices in singular social and geographical contexts. Coming from different generations and continents, half of them have been in residence at the Cité internationale des arts. They invite us to explore the voice in all its possibilities: to poeticize, to sing, to breathe, to cry out, to whisper. Each creates a distinct language that moves beyond codified and institutionalized knowledge, venturing instead into locally rooted traditions and vernacular rituals. The voice thus becomes a tool of transformation: it repairs, it resists, it opens the possibility of other worlds. Through it, we find calm, we heal, we rebuild ourselves, and we can resonate with others and the nature that surrounds us.

Curated by Nataša Petrešin-Bachelez, Interdependent Curator, former Arts & Culture Programme Manager at the Cité internationale des arts, and Zdenka Badovinac, former Director of the Museum of Modern Art in Ljubljana and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Zagreb, and curator of Freeing the Voices, presented at Kunsthaus Graz in 2025, the starting point of this exhibition.