The Living Archives of Gratte-Terre

Conceived and curated by artist Yayan LIU, in collaboration with Thierry Boutonnier and the collective Les Artistes Arboricoles, the exhibition Archives vivantes de Gratte-Terre showcases several years of arboricultural practices developed at the participatory nursery in Villeurbanne. The trees are displayed in the open air; their stories of cultivation, care, transplantation, and harvesting form a living, ever-evolving archive shaped by residents, artists, and other living beings.

The exhibition unfolds between the nursery and the cabin. Outside, visitors discover the trees, their journeys, and the actions that accompany them. Inside, the cabin offers a rare glimpse into a workshop that is usually hidden from view: work archives, tools, notebooks, seeds, photographs, and experiments reveal the daily lives of the Arboricultural Artists and how, step by step, an artistic practice is built through engagement with living things.

Throughout Résonance, workshops, lectures, and gatherings invite everyone to experiment with arboricultural art. Presented at a pivotal moment in the history of Gratte-Terre, the exhibition accompanies the upcoming departure of some of the trees to the Chaîne des Chênes, affirming that this collective work continues to grow beyond the site, carried forward by the trees, the actions, and the connections they have fostered.

October 17 to November 18, 2026
Monday to Saturday, 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Closed on Sundays.