Nicolas Daubanes (1983, France) is an artist living and working in Perpignan. For over 15 years, he has been working with the prison world (drawings, installations, videos), based on immersive residencies in prisons. Nicolas Daubanes won the Prix Mezzanine Sud les Abattoirs 2017, the Prix des Amis du Palais de Tokyo in 2018 and the Drawing Now prize in 2021. He presented a major installation at the Lyon Biennale in 2022. In 2025, he will present a solo exhibition at the Pantheon in Paris.
His residency project revolves around the Rebibbia prison, north of Rome. Borrowing its title directly from Goliarda Sapienza’s novel, L’Université de Rebibbia designates a single body of work and activations grouped into three components: Codex, Universités des prisons; Cosa Mangiare; and Parloir. Each of these three projects has a graphic, editorial and performative dimension. Each takes a specific approach to questioning, shaping and developing bridges between the inside and outside of the prison.
