Le Fresnoy

Established in 1997, Le Fresnoy – Studio National des Arts Contemporains is an innovative space created with the vision of fostering creative experimentation and production across various media, including visual arts, cinema, music and digital media. Housed in a former leisure centre, Le Fresnoy has been transformed into a dynamic hub where artists, students and audiences converge to explore and engage with contemporary art.

The institution combines educational functions with artistic production, offering a two-year postgraduate programme that attracts students from around the globe. These students work alongside renowned artists, benefiting from mentorship and access to state-of-the-art facilities.

What to see at Le Fresnoy

As a multimedia arts centre, Le Fresnoy hosts an events programme that includes cinema and art exhibitions and many people see it as more of an arthouse cinema than an art gallery. However, Le Fresnoy also hosts a variety of exhibitions throughout the year, featuring works by both established and emerging artists.

These exhibitions often reflect the interdisciplinary nature of the institution, with installations that incorporate visual art, film, digital media and sound. The gallery spaces are designed to accommodate large-scale works, providing an immersive experience for visitors.

Temporary exhibitions and events

Current and planned exhibitions at Le Fresnoy include:

Panorama 26: Toutes ressemblance avec la réalité n’est pas une pure coïncidence
The annual Panorama exhibition (20 September 2024–5 January 2025) showcases over 50 new works in image, sound and digital creation by Fresnoy artists. Using a range of technologies from traditional to virtual and cybernetic, the exhibition critically examines how expanded realities shape contemporary narratives. From the rise of autonomous machines to today’s social networks and AI, these works explore the paradox of expanding realities and narrowing knowledge sources. The exhibition highlights art, science and artistic practice as essential tools for understanding our technology-reinvented reality.

Visiting Le Fresnoy

Le Fresnoy is in Tourcoing in Lille’s suburbs, 10.5km (6½ miles) north of Lille city centre. It is in a residential area, characterised by brick terraced houses and, while it is in Tourcoing, it is closer to the centre of Roubaix than to Tourcoing’s centre. Although there are other things to see and do in both Roubaix and Tourcoing, there is little of interest in the immediate vicinity around Le Fresnoy.

It is around a 10-minute walk from Alsace metro station (on line 2) and it takes a little over half an hour to get here from Gare Lille Flandres or around 15 minutes to get to the centre of Tourcoing (including the walk to the metro station).

Exhibitions cost €4 and are free of charge with la C’ART and the Lille City Pass. Admission to the cinema is €6.

Le Fresnoy doesn’t have a permanent exhibition so you can only visit either for the cinema or when a temporary exhibition is scheduled. It is open in the afternoons between Wednesday and Sunday when exhibitions are running.

22, rue du Fresnoy, 59 202 Tourcoing
Metro Alsace (line 2) Bus 30 (stop: Fresnoy)
Website www.lefresnoy.net
Admission €4, students €3, seniors €3, disabled visitors €3, free with la C’ART and the Lille City Pass
Exhibitions open 20 Sep 2024–5 Jan 2025 Wed–Sun 2pm–7pm