The gigantic rooms of the Tri Postal (a former postal sorting office) host about a hundred works, of course by Hirst and Cattelan, but also from other famous artists (Sophie Calle, Wim Delvoye, Leandro Erlich, Lionel Estève, Gianni Motti, Jean-Michel Othoniel, Philippe Parreno, Tatiana Trouvé, Xavier Veilhan, Jean-Luc Vilmouth…). Apart from Murakami, several other Japanese artists are present, as Aya Takano, Mr., Chiho Aoshima, Mariko Mori or Kenji Yanobe. Some of the pieces on display were especially created for the event, the large scale of the space giving much liberty to the artists. Among those who imagined specific creations for the exhibition are Gelitin, Guy Limone, Pieter Vermeersch, or JR, one of the favourite artists of the visitors.

SKWAK, Photo: Maxime Dufour Photographies Courtesy of Galerie Perrotin

Outside the Tri Postal, several installations can be seen in other spots of the city, like huge photographs of Paola Pivi in Lille Flandres train station (and in the Gare du Nord in Paris, where the TGV leaves for Lille). Saint-Sauveur, a Lille former goods station turned into a family-friendly cultural place, presents installations by Chinese artists Sun Yuan and Peng Yu.

“The Vivisector”, Johan Creten, Galerie Perrotin, Paris, 2013, Photo: Guillaume Ziccarelli, © Adagp, Paris 2013, Courtesy of Johan Creten & Galerie Perrotin

So, once again, Lille3000 brings to a large audience a fun and nice opportunity to discover contemporary art in a relaxed atmosphere. Just besides a train station which is as the crossroads between Paris, Bruxelles and London, the Tri Po brings an invitation to step up into the imaginative world of artists, while also discovering the fascinating characters who, like Emmanuel Perrotin, may not be as famous for the public as the artists themselves, but nevertheless give its energy to the art world.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Galerie Perrotin / 25 years
Date: October 11th, 2013 – January 12th, 2014
Place: Le Tri Postal
Address: Avenue Willy Brandt, 59000 Lille, France
https://www.lille3000.eu