Airvallauris

17/10/2026

CAROL CAIRNS (CANADA)

Upon arriving in Vallauris, I was immediately drawn to the landscape and the textures of the historic buildings in the old town.

Their raw, weathered surfaces reminded me of the parallels between architecture and the human experience, reflecting both our strength and vulnerability.

Everyone carries a unique story, shaped by personal experiences, challenges and emotions. Looking at the buildings of Vallauris, I see endurance. In the landscape, I find hope. And in the people, I see life.

Just as the textures of old walls reveal the passage of time, our own experiences leave traces that cannot always be hidden beneath a strong exterior.

Through my work, I seek to capture the essence of the human experience, exploring how textures can express resilience and strength while allowing our vulnerabilities to emerge.

“Invitation au voyage”

📅 September 26, 2026

🎉 Exhibition Opening Reception

📍 Galerie Aqui Siam Ben
Place Lisnard
1 Boulevard des Deux Vallons
06220 Vallauris, France

🌐 More information:
www.GalerieAquiSiamBen.org

17/10/2026

JULIA HECHANOVA (UNITED STATES)

Through my long-standing connection to French culture, Vallauris has offered me an intimate setting to reconnect with myself, my personal history, and create new memories.

Immersed in the town’s slower pace of life, I found myself deeply touched by the kindness of its community, whose warmth has left a lasting impression on my experience.

During my walks through Vallauris, I became fascinated by the geometric patterns and overlooked details of its streets and architecture.

For this body of work, I explored the physical imprints that people and places leave on us, using found objects and elements of the urban landscape as molds.

By transforming these impressions into ceramic forms, I sought to reveal the beauty of everyday details, preserving a particular moment in time and allowing it to serve as a lasting reminder that “la vie est belle.”

“Invitation au voyage”

📅 September 26, 2026

🎉 Exhibition Opening Reception

📍 Galerie Aqui Siam Ben
Place Lisnard
1 Boulevard des Deux Vallons
06220 Vallauris, France

🌐 More information:
www.GalerieAquiSiamBen.org

16/10/2026

DIVYA PARIKH (UNITED STATES)

My work explores how ceramic forms can preserve memories and capture otherwise fleeting moments. I believe that every stage in the creation of an object leaves an imprint, contributing to its final form and meaning.

Through this collection, I investigate the tactile relationship between people and everyday objects. Simple gestures, such as opening a drawer, switching on a lamp or placing down a platter, become opportunities to interact with ceramics in unexpected ways.

By transforming familiar functional objects into ceramic forms, I invite viewers to touch, hold and experience them differently.

Working with sculpture, slip-trailing and hand-carving, I allow the clay to express its own character, bringing different clay bodies together within each piece.

Through these interactions, I hope to reveal how ceramics can preserve and transmit memories, connecting material, touch and human experience.

“Invitation au voyage”

📅 September 26, 2026

🎉 Exhibition Opening Reception

📍 Galerie Aqui Siam Ben
Place Lisnard
1 Boulevard des Deux Vallons
06220 Vallauris, France

🌐 More information:
www.GalerieAquiSiamBen.org

16/10/2026

16/10/2026

OMID TAVAKOLI (UNITED STATES)

With this residency, I wanted to explore one of the most photographed regions in the world, where artists have come for centuries to work with its extraordinary sunlight.

Photography literally means “drawing with light.” My intention was to use this radiant energy to create images of the Côte d’Azur differently, returning to analogue film and alternative photographic processes such as cyanotypes, where sunlight directly exposes photosensitive materials.

While exploring Vallauris, its multicultural community, fruit trees and surrounding flora, I began to question: “What is native?”

Memories of childhood and family photographs also became central to this series. Like our memories and the way we process grief, photographs fade, fragment and lose information over time.

Using decades-old expired film and multiple exposures, I sought to capture fleeting impressions of the towns along the French Riviera.

“Invitation au voyage”

📅 September 26, 2026

🎉 Exhibition Opening Reception

📍 Galerie Aqui Siam Ben
Place Lisnard
1 Boulevard des Deux Vallons
06220 Vallauris, France

🌐 More information:
www.GalerieAquiSiamBen.org

14/10/2026

🎉 Looking Back at the Opening Reception of “Invitation au voyage”

📅 September 26, 2026

📍 Galerie Aqui Siam Ben, Vallauris, France

Featuring our international artists-in-residence:

• Carol CAIRNS (Canada / United States)
• Divya PARIKH (United States)
• Julia HECHANOVA (United States)
• Jarred PFEIFFER (United States)
• Omid TAVAKOLI (United States)

📸 A look back at a wonderful day filled with art, creativity, meaningful encounters and international artistic exchange.

A heartfelt thank you to our artists and everyone who joined us to make this opening reception so special!

24/09/2026

LAURENT SARRIEN · VIBRAPHONE 🎶

Vibraphonist Laurent Sarrien is the co-founder of the renowned Crescent Jazz Club in Mâcon, where he developed his skills as a drummer alongside musicians such as Steve Grossman, Bobby Few and Éric Le Lann. After ten years of teaching at the CNR in Lyon, he moved to Nice and collaborated with François Chassagnite, Marc Peillon and Stéphane Belmondo, while recording with Gaël Horellou and Jultrane. His playing is percussive, colourful and virtuosic, yet never superficial.

Laurent Sarrien will accompany the opening of our upcoming exhibition “Invitation au voyage” with a live vibraphone performance.

🎉 Exhibition Opening:
Saturday, September 26, 2026, from 11 AM to 1 PM

📅 Exhibition: September 26–30, 2026

📍 Galerie Aqui Siam Ben
Place Lisnard
1 Boulevard des Deux Vallons
06220 Vallauris

🕐 Opening hours:
10 AM – 12:30 PM / 2 PM – 6 PM

🌐 More information:
www.GalerieAquiSiamBen.org

23/09/2026

CAROL CAIRNS (CANADA) 🇨🇦

Carol est une artiste, administratrice, enseignante et entrepreneuse avec plus de 20 ans d’expérience dans la direction d’organisations artistiques à but lucratif et non lucratif. Née à Chicago et ayant grandi en Saskatchewan, au Canada, elle a vécu et travaillé entre les États-Unis et le Canada. Ces deux environnements culturels très différents continuent aujourd’hui d’influencer sa pratique artistique.

« Invitation au voyage »

📅 Du samedi 26 au mercredi 30 septembre 2026

🎉 Vernissage de l’exposition :
Samedi 26 septembre 2026, de 11h à 13h
En présence des artistes, avec un accompagnement musical du vibraphoniste Laurent Sarrien.

📍 Galerie Aqui Siam Ben
Place Lisnard
1 Boulevard des Deux Vallons
06220 Vallauris

🕐 Horaires d’ouverture :
10h – 12h30 / 14h – 18h

🌐 Plus d’informations :
www.GalerieAquiSiamBen.org

23/09/2026

CAROL CAIRNS (CANADA) 🇨🇦

Carol is an artist, administrator, educator, and entrepreneur with over 20 years of leadership experience in both for-profit and non-profit arts organizations. Born in Chicago and raised in Saskatchewan, Canada, she has lived and worked between the United States and Canada. These two distinct cultural environments continue to influence her artistic practice today.

“Invitation au voyage”

📅 From Saturday, September 26 to Wednesday, September 30, 2026

🎉 Exhibition Opening:
Saturday, September 26, 2026, from 11 AM to 1 PM
In the presence of the artists, with live musical accompaniment by vibraphonist Laurent Sarrien.

📍 Galerie Aqui Siam Ben
Place Lisnard
1 Boulevard des Deux Vallons
06220 Vallauris

🕐 Opening hours:
10 AM – 12:30 PM / 2 PM – 6 PM

🌐 More information:
www.GalerieAquiSiamBen.org


vallauris contemporaryart internationalartist

22/09/2026

JULIA HECHANOVA (ÉTATS-UNIS) 🇺🇸

Julia (née en 1989 à San Francisco) est une artiste multidisciplinaire dont la pratique s’appuie sur des matériaux naturels et des techniques traditionnelles. Formée à la construction navale en bois, elle devient céramiste autodidacte en 2024. Son travail explore l’asymétrie, la connexion et la dualité, en lien avec son héritage philippino-américain.

« Invitation au voyage »

📅 Du samedi 26 au mercredi 30 septembre 2026

🎉 Vernissage de l’exposition :
Samedi 26 septembre 2026, de 11h à 13h
En présence des artistes, avec un accompagnement musical du vibraphoniste Laurent Sarrien.

📍 Galerie Aqui Siam Ben
Place Lisnard
1 Boulevard des Deux Vallons
06220 Vallauris

🕐 Horaires d’ouverture :
10h – 12h30 / 14h – 18h

🌐 Plus d’informations :
www.GalerieAquiSiamBen.org