Nicolas Daubanes

Nicolas Daubanes (1983, France) is an artist living and working in Perpignan. For over 15 years, his work has revolved around the prison world (drawings, installations, videos), arising from immersive periods spent in detention centers. He was awarded the Mezzanine Sud les Abattoirs Prize in 2017, the Amis du Palais de Tokyo Prize in 2018, and the Drawing Now prize in 2021. He presented a large installation at the Lyon Biennale in 2022. In 2025, he will present a solo exhibition at the Panthéon in Paris.

His residency project is based on the Ribibbia prison, north of Rome. Borrowing its title directly from Goliarda Sapienza’s novel, L’Université de Rebibbia refers to a single body of works and activations grouped in three sections: the Codex, Universités des prisons; Cosa Mangiare [What to Eat]; and the Parloir [Visitors’ Room]. Each of these three projects has a graphic, editorial, and performative dimension at the same time. Each, from a specific angle, seeks to question, to shape, or to develop bridges between the inside and the outside of the prison.

Portrait © Grégoire Avenel