About DE RENAVA OFF 01 BIENNAL 01

IT IS AT THE SOUTHERN TIP OF CORSICA, IN THE HEART OF ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL NATURE RESERVES OF THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA AND ITS HISTORICAL MONUMENTS, THAT DE RENAVA CELEBRATES THE BEST OF INTERNATIONAL CONTEMPORARY ART.

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© Anish KAPOOR, Descension, Galleria Continua

By establishing a dialogue between artworks, architecture and nature, the biennale offers a journey of discovery and contemplation, showing alternative visions of Corsica, the Mediterranean and the world of tomorrow.


De Renava is a non-profit organization, recognized as being of public interest and committed to protecting the urban, historical and environmental heritage. From the Genoese citadel of Bonifacio to the land of the lords of Alta Rocca region, De Renava evolves in exceptional backgrounds in a spirit of preservation and enhancement.

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© NUNCA, Blood Indigenous

The event revolves around two distinct axes:

THE URBAN ITINERARY- or official exhibition - dedicated to the field of video art and experiments related to new technologies, takes place in the emblematic city of Bonifacio. Nestled in historical monuments and specially designed lodges by Orma Architettura, works by internationally renowned artists are exhibited for a period of 6 months, allowing the public to renew their view of the city’s heritage.

 

THE WILD ITINERARYlike a confidential garden, invites visitors in the footsteps of scattered pavilions in the Corsican mountains. Between sculpture and architecture, these pavilions constitute artworks permanently installed in the middle of nature, left to the discovery of the wanderer. It will be open from the end of 2022.

SETUP
AND
CURATION

With a reduced number of participants - about fifteen artists per edition for the official exhibition and two pavilions per year - as well as small groups’ visits, De Renava distinguishes itself frommonumental biennales by offering a fresh experience to the public.

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© Latifa ECHAKHCH, Jadid, Dvir Gallery
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© Rineke DIJKSTRA, The Buzz Club, Galerie Max Hetzler

The project is led by a research team and experts in art, architecture and engineering, all from the extreme south of the island and childhood friends. The team is moved by the desire to activate the island heritage and to invest in creation and valorisation of local identities by developing a virtuous project that opens up dialogue and cultural exchange within the Mediterranean at first, and internationally thereafter. 

Faithful to its Mediterranean DNA, each edition of the biennale draws its subject from the thematic reservoir and iconography of "Mare Nostrum" and notably from its ancient legacy: starting point for a universal debate, which will be carried by the multiplicity of guest artists. In addition to the official exhibition, the Capsule room, located in the Montlaur military barracks, is entirely devoted to the Corsican artistic scene. Five works will be successively exhibited there, thus opening new interpretations of the chosen themes.