From Lorient to l’Orient: The Destination Revealed

It’s been a year and a half since we launched Art San Gallery — and since that first blog post in October 2023, where we hinted at a mysterious destination hidden in the name itself.

Now it’s time to reveal it clearly: l’Orient we’ve been sailing toward is Japan.

The name “Art San” was no accident. In Japanese, san (さん) is a respectful suffix used when addressing others — a small, simple gesture of care. It also quietly pointed to the destination we had in mind from the beginning. So while our artists live and work in or near Lorient, the gallery’s name has always contained a second orientation — eastward.

The city of Lorient owes its name and origin to the French East India Company (la Compagnie des Indes Orientales), established under Louis XIV. It was from this port that ships once set sail for Asia, trading goods and ideas between France and the East. In a quiet echo of that history, we’re preparing to make our own eastward move — with art, not cargo.

The connection is more than symbolic. Some of the artworks we’ve featured were already in dialogue with Japanese formats, like the shikishi boards traditionally used for calligraphy and painting. These choices weren’t coincidental — they were signs of where we were headed.

Now, the next step becomes concrete: Art San Gallery will soon open a physical space in Japan.

This marks a new phase, where the gallery will continue to grow online while establishing an in-person presence abroad. It’s also a way of making visible what has always been part of the story — a quiet link between Brittany and Japan, between Lorient and l’Orient.

More soon about the opening, but for now: we’re right on course.

"Lightness of the Gaze" by Christina Halna du Freaty. Acrylic, pencil and collage on a Japanese Shikishi board.