HYÈRES: Culture - Le Printemps des Poètes celebrates freedom until May 30
The Hyères media library celebrates freedom with Le Printemps des Poètes, offering exhibitions, meetings, and concerts until May 30, 2026.
The Hyères media library celebrates freedom with Le Printemps des Poètes, offering exhibitions, meetings, and concerts until May 30, 2026. The 28th edition of Le Printemps des Poètes has begun in Hyères and will continue until May 30, 2026, organized by the city's media library. Under the national theme "La liberté. Force vive, déployée", this cultural event offers a rich and varied program, mixing visual arts, literature, music, and artistic performances. Exhibitions, concerts, readings, recitals, and workshops will punctuate these two months dedicated to poetic creation in all its forms.
Anne Slacik and women poets in the spotlight
At the heart of the event is the exhibition "Avec elles, Anne Slacik et 49 poétesses", on display until May 30. The painter, who shares her life and work between her home region, the South of France, and the Paris region, reveals a major facet of her work: painted books. For over forty years, she has created more than 400 original works in collaboration with female figures of poetry such as Etel Adnan, Jeanne Benameur, Marceline Desbordes-Valmore, or Marguerite Yourcenar. The exhibition highlights these artistic dialogues, presenting recent paintings alongside these precious artist books. Far from any claim of a so-called "feminine" painting, Anne Slacik's work is intended as a "mental painting" which "repudiates images in favor of movements" to "stir the senses." The opening, on March 21, was marked by guided tours in the presence of the artist, and this Saturday, March 28, a reading-meeting is being held with the author Claudie Lenzi.
Meetings and performances not to be missed
The program for the coming weeks promises highlights. On Friday, April 10 at 7 p.m., the auditorium will host the recital "Opéra éphémère", a multidisciplinary performance bringing together the poet Brigitte Broc, the painter and engraver Henri Baviera, and the harpist Emeline Chatelin. The concept offers a real-time creation where poetry, improvised music, and painting, captured live and projected onto a large screen, merge into a unique work.
Saturday, April 25 will be a particularly busy day. At 10 a.m., the writer Pierre Avrial will lead a writing workshop to explore the theme of freedom, recalling that poetry is above all "a wild space where each word regains its independence." Then, at 5 p.m., the public will be able to meet the artist Sapho to discuss her book "Traverser la nuit". An opportunity to discover the poetry of this unclassifiable singer, who builds bridges between her Mediterranean roots, rebellion, and the intimate.
On Saturday, May 2 at 4:30 p.m., the duo Itinérance Alternative (Camille Case and Vincent Clément) will present their concert "Paris - Barjols", a journey between theater, storytelling, and song. Finally, on Saturday, May 23 at 4 p.m., the young poet and cellist from Hyères, Esteban Marchix, will offer a performance mixing poetry and music. "I am 17 years old, I am a poet and cellist. I am very committed to the social and environmental fields in order to make our world better. I defend values of respect, sharing, and hope. I have confidence in the future. Together, we have the power to sustainably transform our lives!" declares the young artist.
Encouraging young creation
Le Printemps des Poètes in Hyères also gives an important place to youth through the 5th edition of the poetic sculpture competition. Organized in partnership with the Lycée Golf Hôtel and the Délégation Académique à l'Action Culturelle (DAAC) of the Académie de Nice, it is open to all secondary school students in the Hyères area. Participants are invited to create a sculpture highlighting one or more poems on the theme of freedom, primarily using recycled materials. The works will be exhibited at the media library and the award ceremony will take place on Wednesday, April 29 at 10:30 a.m. Three categories will be rewarded: the originality prize, the poetic emotion prize, and the public's choice prize.
Article written from a press release transmitted to the editorial team