La Gacilly Photo Festival
1826–2026: Photography, a French adventure
Founded in 2004, the La Gacilly Photo Festival has becomeEurope’s largest outdoor photography festival, attracting more than 300,000 visitors. Every summer, for four months, the Breton village of La Gacilly is transformed into averitableopen-air exhibition space, accessible to everyone free of charge.
Canvases, some measuring as much as 80 square meters, adorn the streets, gardens, and alleyways of La Gacilly, which has been transformed intoa “village of images”; its magnificent architectural heritage provides the perfect backdrop for the more than 800 images on display, while the works of the featured photographers, in turn, highlight the village’s charm.
Public spaces become stages—shared and accessible to everyone, free of charge. As a result, the Photo Festival can boastan audience that includes both loyal connoisseurs and complete novices. It enjoys strong and consistent support from its diverse audiences.
Committed to environmental and social issues since its inception, the La Gacilly Photo Festival continues to pursue an ever-growing ambition:to move, educate, and share, in the hope of building a more responsible world.
| Tuesday | 2:00 PM–6:00 PM |
| Wednesday | 2:00 PM–6:00 PM |
| Thursday | 2:00 PM–6:00 PM |
| Friday | 2:00 PM–6:00 PM |
| Saturday | 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. |
Sun of M'Inuit
The Soleil de M’Inuit/Midnight Sun Gallery is exhibiting Vincent’s work from May 2 to June 30.
A selection of previously unpublished images from *Le Chant des Forêts* is accompanied by photographs by Antoine Lavorel.
| Tuesday | 2:00 PM–6:00 PM |
| Wednesday | 2:00 PM–6:00 PM |
| Thursday | 2:00 PM–6:00 PM |
| Friday | 2:00 PM–6:00 PM |
| Saturday | 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. |
Customs House in Saint-Palais-sur-Mer
This year, the Maison des Douanes transports visitors to another time, offering a contemplative journey—from the vastness of the open wilderness to the thrill of rare moments captured through the lens of photographer Vincent Munier. The exhibition *The Art of Patience* is a poetic immersion, where silence becomes a language and the gaze discovers the fragile beauty of the world. There are places where time is no longer measured in hours but in moments of anticipation.
In these distant or more familiar places, Vincent Munier chooses to fade into the background. He immerses himself, listens, and remains on the lookout. His photography is not a conquest; it is an encounter. Each image arises from a discreet presence, from a deep respect for the wild world and its fragility. “I am an interpreter, a witness to this art unfolding outdoors, a conveyor of emotions.”
When facing the horizon, just as when facing the sea, our gaze widens, and we learn humility. We come to accept the invisible. Through this exhibition, which explores patience and that infinite source of wonder, Vincent Munier encourages us to slow down so we can better observe, feel, and appreciate the beauty of nature.
This new exhibition invites visitors to follow in the footsteps—from the high plateaus of Tibet to the far reaches of Antarctica, via the forests of the Vosges—of this “discreet guest of nature” who has turned patience into a way of life.
An exhibition organized by the Royan Atlantique Urban Community – Department of Cultural Affairs.
April 5 – September 30
Open: 2:00 PM–7:30 PM
Every day except Tuesday
Every day during school holidays
October 1 – November 2
Open: 2:00 PM–6:00 PM
Every day except Tuesday
Every day during school holidays
Salagon Museum
Salagon Museum and Gardens is hosting a major exhibition devoted to the forest, exploring both human management and collective imagination. Entitled "In the forest, from management to escape," this exhibition examines the profound changes in our relationship with the forest since the mid-19th century.
The result of an anthropological approach, the exhibition brings together objects, archives, photographs, artistic works, and film documents to explore the economic, social, cultural, and sensitive issues that affect our forests.
The tour ends in an immersive room featuring Vincent Munier's photographs from the original exhibition En forêt avec Vincent Munier (In the Forest with Vincent Munier), co-designed with the Musée des Confluences and the artist, a leading figure in contemporary wildlife photography, accompanied by a soundtrack created by audio naturalist Marc Namblard.
An exhibition that is both engaging and contemplative, accessible to all audiences.
"The forest tells us about the forest, but in talking about the forest,
it also tells us about man."
Giuseppe Penone
Open every day except Tuesdays outside school holidays (zone B)
Admission price: € 6/€4 in low season or €8/€6 in high season
Free for children under 6
More information: +33 (0)4 92 75 70 50 – info-salagon@le04.fr
Access: On-siteparking / disabled access / public transportation nearby
The last room of the exhibition invites visitors to enjoy an immersive and poetic experience in the heart of the forest, designed in partnership with the Musée des Confluences (Lyon). It plunges the public into an intimate atmosphere where photography, sound, and emotion intermingle.
This installation showcases the work of wildlife photographer Vincent Munier, renowned for his sensitive and contemplative approach to the wild world. Through a selection of his photographs, he reveals a discreet fauna—deer, lynx, capercaillie—in hushed and luminous settings that celebrate the fragile beauty of life.
The images are accompanied by soundscapes created by bioacoustician Marc Namblard, who delicately recreates the rustling, breathing, and singing of the forest. Together, these elements compose a space for listening and viewing, conducive to slowness, observation, and wonder.
This room invites us to change our perspective on nature: to slow down, to step back, to relearn discretion in order to better perceive the richness of our surroundings.
"The forest is my refuge. It is among the trees, silent and immobile giants that connect the ground to the heavens, that I feel truly alive. We have strayed too far from this environment and we must not see it solely as a place for leisure or a source of goods to be extracted and exploited. Nor as an impenetrable place of anxiety and fear. It is a complex, sacred place, an inexhaustible source of wonder—provided we do not overexploit it. We tread lightly there to respect the plant and animal species. This exhibition is an invitation to sit at the foot of a tree and engage your senses to feed on this accessible beauty... as long as you can
s’effacer.
Vincent Munier
