Freeing the Voices

In our societies marked by the rise of populism, the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence and the proliferation of global conflicts, voices are far from being free. Words and sounds are often used for other purposes, becoming a means of manipulation and domination. The artists presented here share a common ambition: to give a voice to all those from whom it has been taken. Their approach aims to achieve a personal and collective liberation.

In a world where it is becoming increasingly urgent to find new forms of expression and to rethink our relationships with one another, the Cité internationale des arts represents a sanctuary. Since 1965, this residency centre dedicated to contemporary creation has welcomed artists and creative professionals from all walks of life and all disciplines. Here, every voice finds the space and safety it needs to flourish.

The artists featured in this exhibition ground their practices in unique social and geographical contexts. Hailing from different generations and continents, half of them have been in residence at the Cité internationale des arts. Through sound installations, paintings, projections and performances, they invite us to explore the voice in all its forms: breathing, shouting, whispering, singing and reciting poetry. Each artist creates a surprising language that transcends codified knowledge and established norms to venture into local traditions and vernacular rituals. Here, the voice reveals itself as a tool for transformation: it heals, it resists, it sketches out the possibility of other worlds. Through it, we find peace, we heal, we (re)invent, whilst resonating with others and with the nature that surrounds us.

Freeing the Voices is curated by interdependent curator and former Arts & Culture Programme Manager at the Cité internationale des arts Nataša Petrešin-Bachelez, together with 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 at the Kunsthaus Graz in 2025, which was the starting point for this exhibition.