The Extatics makes Paris La Défense bud

The contemporary art festival Les Extatiques is back with a new edition that will take the form of an artistic season. From April 3 to June 12, the event will accompany spring and bring art into the midst of the buildings and fast-paced environment of La Défense.

Les Extatiques, which aims to create connections through contemporary art, unveils this year a lineup that blends contemporary art and live arts. It kicks off with the exhibition “D’autres mondes” (Other Worlds), to be discovered from April 3 to April 26 in the Salle des Colonnes, located under the Grande Arche. At the crossroads of science and fiction, the immersive exhibition invites the public to delve into the depths of the ocean to explore the largest part of the world that remains invisible to our eyes.

The exploration of the depths ends in a cave dedicated to the ocean’s mother goddess, Yemayá. Designed by Shivay La Multiple, a multidisciplinary artist from New Caledonia / Kanaky, the cave envelops and cradles the public, a sort of organic cocoon in connection with the living.

Artistic performances take over with the Collectif XY, a group of about twenty acrobats and equilibrists who will offer two shows as part of Les Extatiques. “Les Voyages” will be staged from June 8 to 12 at various locations on the site, while “Möbius” will be visible for a single performance on Tuesday, June 9 at the foot of the Grande Arche steps.

This year’s theme promises a sensitive counterpoint to the usual image associated with La Défense as a place of work, performance, and productivity. By highlighting the living, ecology, and invisible worlds, the programming reveals less perceptible dimensions of the site: its ecosystems, interstices, buried memories, temporalities, and those who inhabit and live it daily.

“The Extatiques” event takes place from April 3 to June 12, 2026, in the La Défense district, Paris. Konbini is a partner of Les Extatiques.