Manif d'art-Quebec City Biennial presents 12th edition Briser la glace / Splitting Ice

Manif d’art – La Biennale de Québec returns for its 12th edition under the curatorial direction of Didier Morelli. Titled Briser la glace / Splitting Ice, the biennial unfolds across Québec City and Lévis, engaging winter not as backdrop but as material condition, territorial reality, and political framework. As the only winter contemporary art biennial in North America, Manif d’art operates within a northern climate that is both environmental and infrastructural. Ice, snow, freeze–thaw cycles, reduced daylight, and subzero temperatures are not metaphors here; they are working conditions. They shape logistics, production schedules, installation methods, and audience circulation. Winter becomes an active collaborator. This edition stands out for its emphasis on production. Thirty-five percent of the works presented are newly commissioned, conceived specifically for this context. The biennial is positioned not merely as a site of exhibition but as a site of fabricatio