The city of Nice is transforming into the artistic capital of the coast on the occasion of the 2025 Biennale of Arts and Ocean. Driven by the theme “The Sea Around Us”, this exceptional edition is part of the Year of the Sea and precedes the United Nations Ocean Conference scheduled for June.
The Biennale has been launched. The theme is the ocean, a symbolic theme for a coastal city like Nice. Artworks can be seen throughout the city. Notably, on the Promenade du Paillon but also in the various museums of the city. These artworks are made with recycled materials, including plastic waste collected from the beaches. These sculptures remind us of the urgency to rethink our relationship with the ocean. It will be possible to discover these works from May to October 2025.
Major exhibitions in the city’s museums
The exhibitions are spread across seven museums. “Matisse Mediterranean” at the Matisse Museum. Installed in the Villa des Arènes, this exhibition offers a sensitive reinterpretation of Henri Matisse‘s work through his intimate relationship with the Mediterranean Sea. From his stays in Nice to his getaways in Corsica, Matisse always found in the blue of the sea, the light of the South, and the gentleness of the shore, an inexhaustible source of inspiration.
“Nice, from the Shore to the Sea” at the Massena Museum, offers a historical and cultural journey through the city of Nice in connection with its coastline. Ancient maps, ship models, paintings of ports, and everyday objects testify to a millennia-long relationship between the city and the sea. The exhibition also discusses the urban transformations of the seafront, the birth of tourism, commercial exchanges, and naval battles that have marked local history and thus the beginning of waste that detracts from the beauty of the coastlines.
“Relics of the Foam” at the Fine Arts Museum. Artist Racca Vammerisse exhibits a series of ceramic sculptures resembling human productions from another time. He is inspired by sea tales and legends. The artist invents imaginary shells, fossilized corals, and fractured amphorae. A sensory proposal, between contemplation and questioning human impact on the seabed.
“The Midnight Zone” at 109, a contemporary culture hub in Nice. Plastic artist Ugo Schiavi immerses visitors with a monumental installation composed of industrial materials, video projections, and sounds recorded at great depths; “The Midnight Zone” explores the inaccessible territories of the oceans.
“Becoming Ocean” at the Villa Arson, a blend of art and science. This collective exhibition is realized in partnership with the Tara Ocean Foundation and TBA21-Academy. It brings together multimedia works, participative installations, and scientific archives to question the transformation of the oceans in the face of climate change, pollution, or overexploitation.
However, the Modern and Contemporary Art Museum (MAMAC), stands out with the installation “Oceans in Peril”, an immersive setup mixing underwater videos, sounds captured offshore, and researchers’ narratives. The experience is both sensory and informative, inviting you to feel the beauty of the seabed while becoming aware of its fragility.
An internationally resonant biennale
Jean-Jacques Aillagon, former Minister of Culture and Hélène Guenin, former director of MAMAC are the organizers of the 2025 Biennale. This new edition marks a turning point with its international scope. The partnership with institutions like the Tara Ocean Foundation highlights the desire to combine art and science to serve a single message: ocean preservation. Moreover, it puts a current issue on the table, thus intertwining with the Ocean Summit to be held next June in Nice. The 2025 Biennale of Arts and Ocean will be held until October 31. It asserts itself as an event at the crossroads of aesthetics and commitment.
