Aurarium, exposition de Jenna Kaës

The Jean-V clinic is a rare example of early 20th-century hospital architecture. Built between 1903 and 1906 to care for tuberculosis patients, it fulfilled the philanthropic ambitions of Thomas Dobrée, a patron of the arts and collector from Nantes, who bequeathed his fortune to help create cultural and social institutions in the city. Designed for the care and convalescence of the ill, its layout revolves around a central hall that is bathed in light and symmetrically connects various rooms.

Today, this structure – which remains steeped in medical history – has been transformed by Jenna Kaës. This artist-designer explores contemporary forms of mysticism and the materialization of spirituality through materials like bronze, glass, and textiles. Her work questions the invisible, memory, and symbolism.

For the 2025 edition of Le Voyage à Nantes, she has transformed the clinic into a contemporary reliquary. Like a series of dioramas, each room becomes a narrative capsule blending historical objects with new creations. Thanks to a light installation, the central hall becomes a luminous core around which these suspended scenes of care, spirituality, and fiction unfold.

The artist thus establishes a dialogue between past and present, between vestiges of care and mystical resonances, breathing new life – both tangible and poetic – into this architecture.