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Caserne Montlaur Biennale De Renava Bonifacio

A dialogue between the Mediterranean and contemporary artFrom 23 May to 5 November

The De Renava Contemporary Art Biennale

De Renava is a cultural phenomenon in Corsica, born out of the desire of two friends with a passion for art to present a contemporary art exhibition that is challenging, lively and vibrant, featuring both renowned and emerging artists, as well as international and Corsican artists. De Renava also represents a convergence of art and Bonifacio’s heritage, as the exhibition venues are often unusual spaces, usually closed to the public, which gives the biennial a very distinctive character and helps to reinforce the exceptional nature that defines the event. Following the 2024 edition of Roma/Amor, the team returns in 2026 with Nimu Dormi.

Nimu Dormi

2026 Edition

Since 2022, Bonifacio has been hosting the leading names in contemporary art. A biennial in even-numbered years, an ‘off’ exhibition in collaboration with the Centre Pompidou in odd-numbered years – and so we see both monumental and more intimate works installed in various locations around the town to showcase them to their best advantage.

Photography, video, painting, sculpture… are all on display at the third edition, entitled Nimu Dormi (Nobody Sleeps), running from 23 May to 5 November 2026. This exhibition, with its Mediterranean flavour, evokes a world awakening to the tensions, upheavals and profound changes sweeping through our societies.

Nimu Dormi explores celebration as a space for resistance, expression and transformation. Far from being a mere interlude, it becomes a collective act, a moment in which new forms of freedom are invented. At the crossroads of bodies, rhythms and imaginations, it acts as a revealer: of tensions, of impulses, but also of possibilities.

In this staging of reality, celebration becomes a language. It questions, challenges and connects. It opens up gaps, brings stories to the surface and, implicitly, charts new human trajectories.

The magic of extraordinary places

The De Renava exhibition stands out for its bold approach: rather than being confined to a single venue, it embraces the city in all its richness and complexity. The organisers have therefore chosen spaces that are sometimes little-known, have long been closed to the public or are privately owned, transforming them into veritable artistic showcases.

From its very first edition in 2022, the biennial made its mark through the exceptional reopening of venues that had remained inaccessible for many years, breathing new life into them through contemporary art. For this third edition, curators Prisca Meslier and Dominique Marcellesi are building on this momentum by expanding the exhibition route.

Whilst certain iconic sites remain at the heart of the walking tour, such as the Impluvium, the Cisterna and the Caserne Montlaur, new spaces are enriching the experience. The Agora, a former nightclub that has been closed for nearly thirty years, is thus reopening its doors, whilst the Palazzu Publicu, the city’s former seat of civil and judicial power, is taking on a new significance.

Each venue engages in a unique dialogue with the works it hosts, revealing them in different ways depending on the light, the time of day or the visitor’s perspective. De Renava thus goes beyond the framework of a traditional exhibition to offer a sensory and immersive experience, where art becomes part of the very fabric of the city.

In a deliberately compact and constantly evolving layout, monumental works and more intimate installations interact with one another as visitors make their way through the exhibition. Visitors are invited to discover Bonifacio in a new light, through installations that appear where one least expects them.

Videodromes: Renava’s video evenings

A lively, hybrid, late-night programme where the visuals are experienced just as much as they are watched

From the launch of this new edition and throughout the summer, De Renava is presenting ‘Vidéodromes’, a series of open-air video art screenings combining visuals, music and performance.
Presented in immersive formats designed to break away from traditional conventions, the works are experienced in unique settings and are complemented by DJ sets or live performances that resonate directly with the images.
The programme ties in with the biennial’s theme, bringing together, in particular, artists from the video art platform associated with the event and works identified through the curatorial exchanges between Bonifacio and Athens organised by Prisca Meslier.

Impluvium | Bonifacio
24 May · 26 June · 24 July · 21 August · 19 September
10.00 pm – midnight

Renowned works and emerging artists

Nimu Dormi presents a broad artistic panorama, in which every discipline finds its place and its own language. As visitors make their way through the exhibition, the works surprise, challenge and, at times, unsettle – always with the aim of creating a direct encounter between the viewer’s gaze and the artwork.

Conceived by Prisca Meslier and Dominique Marcellesi, this third edition of the biennial brings together 12 international artists and 6 local artists and collectives. Some works have been created specifically for Bonifacio, as part of an approach to site-specific creation and dialogue with the surroundings.

Set amidst the town’s historic heritage, between the sea and the cliffs, Nimu Dormi thus offers a journey where contemporary art and Mediterranean heritage resonate with one another. The 2026 edition reaffirms De Renava as a vibrant testing ground, where works circulate, engage in dialogue and reinvent the way we see the town.

The origins of De Renava

De Renava stands out as a unique initiative on the contemporary art scene: a biennial conceived from within by two locals, Prisca Meslier and Dominique Marcellesi. Their shared ambition is clear: to make Bonifacio a creative hub in its own right, capable of showcasing leading works whilst remaining deeply true to its identity.

Both the specialist press and regional media regularly highlight the project’s uniqueness: an event that does not merely exhibit contemporary art, but revitalises heritage sites that are often inaccessible, transforming them into genuine spaces for experience.

What also sets De Renava apart is its ability to foster a dialogue between the international art scene and the island’s creative scene. The curators champion a deliberate balance between globally recognised artists and talents from Corsica or with links to the island, a dynamic regularly highlighted in media coverage as one of the biennial’s key strengths.

Finally, De Renava is often described as a ‘site-specific’ biennial, where the route through the town forms an integral part of the artwork. The experience is not limited to the works on display: it also lies in the act of wandering, the light, the perspectives offered by Bonifacio and the way in which the works fit into this setting.

More than just an artistic event, De Renava thus emerges as a regional project, driven by two curators deeply attached to their island, and determined to put Bonifacio on the major maps of contemporary art, without ever diluting its unique character.