Delirious Quebec @ PASSAGES INSOLITES 2021 - Photo by Stéphane Bourgeois_EXMURO, courtesy of Passages Insolites 2021.

Delirious Quebec @ PASSAGES INSOLITES 2021 – All photos by Stéphane Bourgeois_EXMURO.

Urban Art – Until October 11, a yellow line painted on Quebec City’s roads and alleys invites you to explore the 5-km art trail Passage Insolites 2021. Produced by EXMURO under the artistic direction of Vincent Roy and presented by the City of Quebec, the 8th edition of the public art project adds a touch of magic to the urban experience to transform how we see the city through 21 ephemeral installations.

In the alleyways and hidden nooks and crannies of the historic Petit-Champlain neighbourhood, American artist Mark Jenkins has created hyperrealistic characters in alarming positions. Cast at human scale and dressed in a disarmingly realistic manner, these sculptures fool passersby, who need a double-take to see that they aren’t actually real people.

Mark Jenkins @ PASSAGES INSOLITES 2021 - Photo by Stéphane Bourgeois_EXMURO, courtesy of Passages Insolites 2021.

Mark Jenkins.

French artist Benedetto Bufalino has imagined a new world where the car has become obsolete. From here, he created a series of three parked cars that are overturned, filled with earth, and covered with an immaculate lawn. The installation invites us to reflect on consumerism and the climate emergency.

Benedetto Bufalino @ PASSAGES INSOLITES 2021 - Photo by Stéphane Bourgeois_EXMURO, courtesy of Passages Insolites 2021.

Benedetto Bufalino.

Visitors can look into Swedish artist Susanna Hesselberg‘s unexpected buried library plunging deep into the abyss. The library is out of reach to evoke the all-consuming pain of losing a loved one and reflects the mourning for transmission interrupted, for knowledge now lost, irrevocably and forever.

Susanna Hesselberg @ PASSAGES INSOLITES 2021 - Photo by Stéphane Bourgeois_EXMURO, courtesy of Passages Insolites 2021.

Susanna Hesselberg.

Many are the local artists joining the project. Sarah Thibault has created a sculptural arch that provides a passageway to the Saint-Roch church. The monument is covered with an haut relief of papier-mâché baguettes, all gilded like the church interiors. The installation by Delirious Quebec collective juxtaposes the strong identity of some of various Quebec City buildings abstracting their unique volumetric proportions.

Sarah Tibault @ PASSAGES INSOLITES 2021 - Photo by Stéphane Bourgeois_EXMURO, courtesy of Passages Insolites 2021.

Sarah Tibault.

Never like this summer, floods and fires made the climate change so clearly present. It’s time to remember that such an emergency is not something happening elsewhere but very close to all of us. Quebec City-based Théâtre Rude Ingénierie has created a mysterious village in the waters of Bassin Louise.

Théâtre Rude Ingénierie @ PASSAGES INSOLITES 2021 - Photo by Stéphane Bourgeois_EXMURO, courtesy of Passages Insolites 2021.

Théâtre Rude Ingénierie.

Photography by Stéphane Bourgeois_EXMURO – courtesy of Passages Insolites.