Searching for Utopia Statue by J. Fabre

The statue Searching for Utopia, in Namur

The statue Searching for Utopia, by the artist Jan Fabre, is an emblematic contemporary work of the Citadel of Namur, representing a man riding a giant turtle. The Namur audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this unusual and symbolic sculpture, known by all the people of Namur.

The man with the giant turtle by Jan Fabre

Known by all the people of Namur, the statue Searching for Utopia by the Belgian artist Jan Fabre is a must-see stop within the citadel. It was installed on the occasion of the flagship exhibition Facing Time Rops/Fabre, organised in Namur in 2015, which put the work of Fabre into dialogue with that of Félicien Rops, famous Namur artist. The sculpture, in bronze, represents a man lying on the back of a giant turtle, his arm extended towards the horizon, as if in search of a distant ideal. The title, which means in search of utopia, and the choice of the turtle, a slow and patient animal, evoke the slow, obstinate and perhaps inaccessible quest of a better world. Installed facing the landscape, the work dialogues with the exceptional panorama of the citadel. Unusual, poetic and symbolic, the statue Searching for Utopia is an original stop of the discovery of Namur.

What to see

You admire the bronze sculpture by Jan Fabre representing a man lying on a giant turtle, his arm extended towards the horizon, in search of utopia, installed at the citadel for the Facing Time Rops/Fabre exhibition of 2015, which dialogues with the exceptional panorama of the site. The statue Searching for Utopia is an emblematic work of Namur. It is an original stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The statue Searching for Utopia lies on the site of the Citadel of Namur, reachable on foot. It is an open-air work, freely visible. You discover it during a walk on the citadel, facing the panorama.

What does the statue Searching for Utopia represent in Namur?

A bronze sculpture by Jan Fabre representing a man lying on a giant turtle, his arm extended towards the horizon; its title, in search of utopia, and the turtle evoke the slow and obstinate quest of a better world. It was installed at the citadel for the 2015 exhibition.

Where is the statue Searching for Utopia of Namur?

On the site of the Citadel of Namur, in Belgium.