What if the sacred today is experienced through materiality and the human body? At the Maubuisson Abbey, located in Saint-Ouen-l’Aumône in the Val-d’Oise, the exhibition Inkarna: Transformations of the Sacred invites visitors to dive into a universe where contemporary art, spirituality, the human body, physical matter, and the imagination of life all converge, running from April 12 to August 30, 2026. Conceived by artist Yosra Mojtahedi, in dialogue with works by Elsa Guillaume and Magdalena Abakanowicz, this exhibition is hosted in the historic spaces of a 13th-century Cistercian monastery that now functions as a contemporary art center.
Second chapter of the triptych Metamorphoses of the Sacred (following the Mandorla exhibition), this installment explores how the sacred is evolving in contemporary art practices. It navigates the spectrum from memory of places and symbolic heritage to organic forms, technological innovations, and sensory experiences. Co-curated by Marie Ménestrier and Emmanuel Reiatua Cuisinier, Inkarna offers a journey tailored to the abbey, where Persian mythology, sculptural installations, textile art, hybrid figures, and reflections on life itself come together in a curated present-day artistic dialogue.
With Inkarna, Yosra Mojtahedi is creating an exhibition specially designed for the spaces of Maubuisson, directly inspired by the abbey’s architecture and its spiritual history. Born in Tehran in 1986 and educated at the Fresnoy, the artist works at the intersection of contemporary art, science, and technology. She has a particular focus on soft robotics, organic forms, and the boundaries between the living and the non-living.
Here, visitors walk through a space dominated by dark tones, dense textures, and hybrid forms. Black, a striking presence throughout, isn’t just used as a visual effect; it functions as a material in its own right—both enveloping and silent, yet active. The route features works such as Exode, which explores the intersection of religious storytelling, female experience, and post-apocalyptic scenes; Anahithanor, a piece inspired by a mythological Persian figure of a fountain-bodied form, blending myth and alchemical imagery; Zhinar, a large-scale sculpture connected to women’s struggles; and L’Érosarbénus, an installation combining silicone, ceramics, programming, and motion. In this environment, the body becomes a landscape, a machine, a vessel of memory, or a surface of resistance—never confined to a single interpretation.
The exhibition is also gaining depth thanks to the contributions of Elsa Guillaume and Magdalena Abakanowicz, whose works continue to explore the themes of transformation and evolution in the living world. With Triton IX, Elsa Guillaume draws on her expertise in marine environments and ceramics to create amphibious forms—shaped by water, earth, and the origins of life itself. Her work adds a more elemental and aquatic dimension to the exhibition, emphasizing the circulation of matter, transitions between states, and a constant awareness of the dynamic nature of life.
In contrast, L’Ange noir by Magdalena Abakanowicz introduces a different depth, drawing on organic fibers, silhouettes, and the memory of the human form. A key figure in 20th-century textile sculpture, the Polish artist explores themes of fragility, repetition, and human presence through a piece that seems to preserve the echoes of an ancient tension between the individual and the collective. Together at Maubuisson, these works create a compelling dialogue around flow, textures, and transformation—while honoring the unique language of each artist’s approach.
The public opening reception is scheduled for Saturday, April 11, 2026, at 3 p.m. It will feature a sound performance by Timothée Couteau and Yosra Mojtahedi, conceived as an electro-acoustic dialogue exploring the universe of the exhibition. In the galleries of Maubuisson, Inkarna offers a glimpse into new ways of contemplating life, matter, and what still eludes purely visual understanding today.
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Dates and Opening Time
From April 12, 2026 to April 30, 2026
Location
Maubuisson Abbey
Avenue Richard de Tour
95310 Saint Ouen l'Aumone
Access
Transilien Line H or RER C at "Saint-Ouen-L'Aumône" station
Prices
€3
Official website
www.valdoise.fr
More information
From April 1 to October 10, the museum is open on Wednesdays from 9:30 AM to 11:45 AM and from 1:00 PM to 6:15 PM, and from Thursday to Monday from 1:00 PM to 6:15 PM. It is closed on Tuesdays. On public holidays, the museum is open from 1:00 PM to 6:15 PM, except for May 1.
