“DECENTRALIZED ART” Les 3 CHA Museum. Art center in Châteaugiron.

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Decentralized art is a trend that aims to take artistic creation and experience beyond large urban centers, and the Les 3 CHA Museum – Art Center in Châteaugiron is an exemplary reference point for this movement in the Brittany region of France. Housed in a restored 12th-century chapel, this contemporary art center demonstrates how local heritage can engage with contemporary art and enrich each other far from the usual circuits of large cities.

A project outside the traditional circuit

Les 3 CHA was born after six years of restoration of the former military chapel in Châteaugiron, transforming it in 2015 into a space open to innovation and contemporary creation. This rural and heritage context gives the center a uniqueness that enhances the production of site-specific exhibitions: each guest artist must conceive and develop their work considering the space, architecture, and symbolic significance of the place, generating a unique resonance that would be unthinkable in a conventional urban context.

Accessibility and community

By offering free access and a program designed for diverse audiences, Les 3 CHA seeks to democratize contemporary art and bring it closer to communities that are typically far removed from the global art circuit. In addition, the constant alternation between exhibitions and interdisciplinary events (music, dance, etc.) contributes to revitalizing the monument and strengthening the local social fabric.

Contemporary art and local heritage

Les 3 CHA has made the promotion of heritage one of its main focuses, using art to rediscover the medieval history of the enclave and its future prospects. The exhibition projects, both individual and collective, often take advantage of the physical and symbolic characteristics of the chapel, establishing a dialogue between past and present that is visible in each exhibition.[

An inspiring model of decentralization

Les 3 CHA is an example of how a small municipality can generate a relevant and distinctive cultural offering, focusing on site-specific work, respect for context, and openness to new forms of contemporary artistic creation far from the hustle and bustle of the city. This artistic decentralization fosters not only cultural diversity, but also new perspectives on how to relate to art and the territory.[