EXPOSITION
« PÔLES, DES MONDES FRAGILES » BY GREG LECOEUR
AND OCEANO MONACO
At the Monaco Oceanographic Museum
From July 1 to November 5, 2023 and in 4 French stations
(Cannes, Marseille Saint-Charles, Nice and Paris Gare de Lyon)
from July 3 to August 31, 2023
A partnership between the Oceanographic Institute of Monaco
and SNCF Gares & Connexions
From July 1, 2023, the Oceanographic Museum and the Cannes, Marseille Saint-Charles, Nice and Paris Gare de Lyon stations will host the photographic tour “Pôles, des mondes fragiles”, by Greg Lecoeur and Oceano Monaco. The images unveiled at the Museum and in stations focus on the Arctic and Antarctic, essential engines for the proper functioning and balance of our planet. Greg Lecoeur’s work, in collaboration with the Oceanographic Institute, bears witness to the state of the polar regions in the face of climate change, and aims to raise awareness so that everyone becomes an ambassador for the Ocean.
When Prince Albert I of Monaco, explorer and pioneer of modern oceanography, took a photograph of the Lilliehöök glacier at the turn of the 20th century, could he have imagined that, a hundred years later, this frozen monster would have retreated several kilometers, the victim of an inexorable dynamic in the face of climate change? Faced with this urgent need, and under the impetus of HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco, the Institut océanographique, through its new action and awareness program, is putting its historic mission of : “to make the Ocean known, loved and protected”.
From ice floes and polar bears in the north, to emperor penguins and vast frozen deserts in the south, Greg Lecoeur’s iconic photographs reveal the incredible biodiversity of the poles. Set against a backdrop of breathtaking XXL-format scenery, the “Poles, Fragile Worlds” installation has a triple objective: to document, amaze and raise awareness of ocean protection. The Oceanographic Museum and the stations at Cannes, Marseille Saint-Charles, Nice and Paris Gare de Lyon invite visitors to discover a little-known, often abstract world, and gain a better understanding of the issues involved.
©Greg Lecoeur
©Greg Lecoeur
CONTINUING POLAR MISSION
Echoing its “Mission Polaire” exhibition, the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco will be hosting the terminus of the “Poles, Fragile Worlds” tour in its iconic Conference Room from July 1 to November 5, 2023. For the next five months, visitors to the Museum will have the pleasure of taking a pictorial tour of the icy expanses of the Arctic and Antarctic to meet the species that inhabit them. This collaboration between naturalist photographer Greg Lecoeur and the Oceanographic Institute affirms the Museum’s original desire to bring art and science together to raise awareness of the need to protect the poles and, more broadly, all living things.
RAILWAY STATIONS: A SOUNDING BOARD FOR SOCIAL ISSUES
Mirroring society and the great causes that drive it, the stations are committed to offering a committed cultural program. Based on the premise that art can unite audiences and appeal to different sensibilities, station exhibitions place as much emphasis on content as they do on form. Ultimately, the aim is to encourage travelers to adopt more responsible behavior. Through the “Poles, fragile worlds” tour, SNCF Gares & Connexions is joining forces with the Oceanographic Institute’s historic mission. Photography is used as a means of expression to question the future of an endangered ecosystem. Greg Lecoeur’s images have been selected for the message they carry, their technicality and artistic dimension, as well as for the power they exude.
©Greg Lecoeur
GREG LECOEUR
Greg Lecoeur has been photographing the oceans for over fifteen years, taking the public on a journey to the heart of the marine world. A committed artist, this Nice-born lover of the sea uses photographic art as a means of expression to document, marvel at and raise awareness of ocean protection. His work and talent have been recognized with over a hundred international awards, including the prestigious National Geographic : ” Nature Photographer of the Year ” (2016) and ” Underwater Photographer of the Year ” (2020). This photo story – which echoes the “Mission Polaire ” exhibition at Monaco’s Oceanographic Museum – bears witness to the incredible biodiversity of the poles and raises questions about the future of these precious yet endangered ecosystems.
©Lea Lacour
Exhibitions produced in partnership with :
