Briser la glace/Splitting ice

The world’s only winter biennial – A must-see celebration of contemporary art.

Splitting Ice / Briser la glace

The only winter art biennial in North America. A flagship event for contemporary art.

From February 28 to April 19, 2026, more than 60 artists from Québec, Canada and around the world will gather in Québec City for a bold edition that examines territory, the body and climate transformation.

✦ A Powerful Theme: Splitting Ice / Briser la glace

Manif d’art 12 – The Québec City Biennial explores Splitting Ice / Briser la glace through a poetic and political reflection on winter.
This edition investigates our relationship to northern landscapes in a time of climate disruption—where snow, ice, thaw and blizzard become materials to create with, perform, question or reimagine.

Water, in its many states, becomes a symbol of fragility, resistance, memory and transformation. The Biennial also draws inspiration from historic gestures—such as Françoise Sullivan’s iconic Danse dans la neige (1948)—highlighting an intergenerational lineage of embodied practices.

Through exhibitions, performances, installations, storytelling and public art, Manif d’art 12 offers a sensory and reflective experience connecting contemporary art, Québec territory and global ecological urgencies.
An invitation to slow down, to feel, and to imagine new ways of inhabiting a warming world.

✦ Curator: Didier Morelli

Didier Morelli is an art historian, critic and interdisciplinary artist living between Montréal and Toronto. A FRQSC postdoctoral fellow (Concordia University / Canadian Centre for Architecture), he studies second-wave feminist performance and its subversion of urban spaces in the 1970s.

His writing has appeared in Art Journal, C Magazine, Esse, CBC Arts, The Drama Review (TDR), among others.

✦ A Human-Scale Biennial

Manif d’art 12 brings together artists from Québec, Canada and beyond, activating more than 40 venues throughout Québec City and neighbouring regions.
This edition reinforces a strong commitment to accessibility, mediation and territorial collaboration.

60 Artists from Québec, Canada and Around the World

From northern and Arctic practices to Caribbean, European and American perspectives, Manif d’art 12 presents a diverse constellation of contemporary voices.

See all participating artists

Central Exhibition: Splitting Ice / Briser la glace

Under the curatorship of Didier Morelli, the Espace Quatre Cents becomes a luminous laboratory for installations, video, sculpture and immersive works exploring climate, winter and the body.

Dates: February 28 → April 19, 2026
Location: Espace Quatre Cents, Old Port of Québec

Learn more

Partner Galleries & Co-presenters Across Québec

From Saint-Roch to Montcalm, from Wendake to Lévis and Joliette, partner galleries and artist-run centres present co-produced exhibitions specially developed for Manif d’art 12.

Discover partner galleries

Public Art: Québec as an Open-Air Museum

Outdoor installations, site-specific gestures, moving performances and poetic interventions transform winter into a territory for exploration.

Explore public artworks

Emerging Talent: The Young Curators Program

Presented by the Commission de la capitale nationale du Québec (CCNQ).
A key platform dedicated to emerging curatorial practices.

Discover the Young Curators Program

Satellite Activities & Parallel Exhibitions

Partner galleries, artist-run centres, museums and cultural institutions join the Biennial with complementary exhibitions, screenings, workshops and public programs.

See all satellite activities

Plan Your Trip to Québec

Accommodation, transport, neighbourhoods and practical tips—everything you need to make the most of your Biennial visit.

Plan your visit

Our Partners

The Biennial is made possible thanks to the support of institutional, financial, media and cultural partners.

See all partners