They are writers, sculptors, painters, videographers, podcasters… Six artists had the privilege of sailing aboard the Marius container ship on the Atlantic-Pacific Artists Line in 2024. A sea voyage that enriches their artistic journeys, driven by the partnership between the Villa Albertine and Marfret.
The Villa Albertine, a French state’s cultural diplomatic body, plays a unique role in supporting artists and intellectuals who provide a distinct perspective on contemporary societies. Through residencies and partnerships, it fosters reflection on social, technological, and environmental issues while encouraging dialogue between cultures. Based on the idea of exploration and innovation, the Villa Albertine offers about fifty land-based residencies in major U.S. cities. Since 2023, thanks to a partnership with the shipping company Marfret, it has also introduced a groundbreaking maritime residency: the Atlantic Pacific Artists Line (APAL).
A rare opportunity in the maritime industry, Marfret offers the selected artists several weeks aboard the Marius.
“I was overjoyed when I found out I was selected. I have an aesthetic fascination for merchant shipping, container ships, true links in international trade,” shares Elsa Guillaume, visual artist. Her exhibition Royaume Pagure, presented at the Patinoire Royale in Brussels (from October 25 to December 21, 2024), explores the theme of sailors changing their shells like hermit crabs, inspired by the contrast between the confinement of the ship and the vastness of the ocean.
During six weeks aboard the Marius, the artist fills numerous notebooks, enriched by the emotions and observations she experiences. As if frozen during the three hours spent drawing in the engine room and on the bridge, she sparks interest and respect from the sailors, earning their trust.
“Every day, wearing their red overalls, they are tasked with scraping off the rust on the decks and repainting; as if the battle against erosion was a lost cause. The sailors don’t use their names but their functions. The ocean, a magnificent blue, looks like a huge pancake on which the ship glides. We live on the water, without being able to touch or feel it,” says Elsa Guillaume, who has notably sailed on iconic sailing vessels (Tara Expeditions, Polar Front, and the schooner Persévérance of Jean-Louis Étienne).
Following in the footsteps of designer Mathilde Pellé, illustrator Julia Bourdet, podcaster Florence de Schlichting, and visual artist Clément Verger, writer Pierre Ducrozet, the latest winner of the 2024 jury, is preparing to board the Marius.
On January 22, he will board the Marius during its stop in Papeete, to immerse himself fully in this maritime life and inspire his seventh novel. The adventure story of a young man traveling to Japan by cargo ship, facing geopolitical challenges in the heart of the Pacific when an island rises from the sea.
“I dreamed of embarking, I dreamed of a cargo voyage for its exhilarating, adventurous, and romantic side! I want to feel, live, and write aboard,” says Pierre Ducrozet, winner of the Prix de Flore for his novel L’Invention des corps (published by Actes Sud, a well-known French publishing house).
Art and the sea are two infinite territories of exploration, where each journey shapes a new work.
In 2025, the works created by the six artists who sailed aboard the Marius will be showcased in an exceptional exhibition at the French National Navy Museum. This exhibition, celebrating the Year of the Ocean, will highlight the dialogue between art and the maritime environment.
And the adventure continues: in the coming days, the jury, composed of the Villa Albertine, Marfret, and the National Navy Museum, will announce the three new artists selected to embark in 2025. We look forward to continuing this artistic and maritime exploration with the Villa Albertine, inspiring even more fresh perspectives on the world.