Richard Orlinski in Saint-Raphaël

Seven Sculptures from Port to City Center

The waterfront provided the starting point for several of the works. A red Elephant occupied the Vieux-Port near Le Baia, introducing a broad horizontal mass into the harbor setting. Nearby, a monumental yellow Shark rose three meters high along the Promenade René Coty, its vertical movement contrasting with the open line of the coast.

Further along the route, a red Deer was positioned on the Promenade René Coty near the Mercure, while a Standing Bear marked the Office de Tourisme Charles Omédé. These different animal forms allowed Orlinski’s repeated use of faceted geometry to be encountered against changing backgrounds rather than within a uniform exhibition setting.

At the Centre Culturel Georges Ginesta, a large red Crocodile extended across the forecourt. Two versions of Wild Kong completed the route: a three-meter red figure on the Esplanade Delayen and another installed at the Musée Louis de Funès.

The seven placements created a sequence of contrasts between upright and horizontal bodies, aggressive gestures and quieter postures, and between saturated color and the pale architecture and intense summer light of the Côte d’Azur.

Sculpture as a Route Through Saint-Raphaël

The project was conceived as a distributed exhibition rather than a single destination. Moving between the seven works required visitors to cross different parts of Saint-Raphaël, making the geography of the city an active part of the exhibition.

This structure was particularly effective along the waterfront. The changing relationship between sculpture, sea, vegetation and pedestrian activity meant that each work could be seen within conditions that shifted throughout the day. Reflective and colored resin responded strongly to direct Mediterranean light, while the scale of the works allowed them to remain visible within busy public spaces.

The presentation also connected cultural institutions with sites primarily associated with transport, tourism or leisure. A visitor might encounter a Wild Kong outside a museum, a crocodile at the cultural center or a shark while walking along the coast. Contemporary sculpture entered routines that were not necessarily organized around an art visit.

Presented by the City of Saint-Raphaël with Saint-Raphaël Tourisme, the project remained freely accessible throughout the summer. Its dispersed format allowed Orlinski’s sculptural vocabulary to operate not as a self-contained collection, but as a succession of temporary interventions within the visual identity of a Mediterranean city.

Related exhibition: Richard Orlinski in Carcassonne, a public sculpture route presented in Carcassonne during the same summer.