AU DOMAINE DES SENS

From July 4 to 11, 2026, this open-air exhibition brings together more than one hundred works, including several monumental installations, displayed throughout the park, the grounds of the château, and the surrounding vineyards. Organized by the Burgundy Contemporary Sculpture Biennial and supported by the town of Nolay—involved in the project since its inception—the exhibition is firmly rooted in the local community.

Here, the landscape acts as a true partner. Changing light, mineral textures, and the lines of the vines: all these elements alter the perception of the works and integrate them into a sensory experience. Some sculptures stand out as landmarks in the space, while others are revealed gradually as visitors wander, in a more subtle way.

The selection of artists embraces a wide diversity of approaches. For Sylvie Arfelli, Carole Auriac, and Xavier Embise, clay retains the trace of the artist’s hand and a distinctly organic dimension. The bronze, worked by Pascale Beneteau, Anita Bonici or Éric Vanel, oscillates between heritage and contemporary reinterpretation.

Several works interact directly with the site. The corten steel structures of Julien Clar and Éric Vialla-Tweak play with time and the hues of the landscape, while Éric Chambon explores the tensions between sandstone and bronze. Christelle Meunier, for her part, uses Carrara marble to shift its codes.

Other artists blur the boundaries of the medium: Sophie Mattei combines bronze, earth and mineral resin in composite forms, while Anne Moreau Vagnon introduces textiles at the heart of sculpture. At David Benoit, the reference to Pompon becomes a point of friction more than a simple homage.

Around these proposals, Sylvie Gaudissart, Marc Antoine Lion, Laëtitia-May Le Guélaff, Gilles Pugin, Katty Verstraeten and Annick Dumarchey complete this panorama by exploring registers ranging from ceramics to hybrid forms. The exhibition also welcomes an artist presented by the FRAC Bourgogne, Sofía Táboas, as well as a collective work produced by the École des Beaux-Arts de Beaune. Added to this is the exceptional presence of British sculptor Paul Day.

Participating artists

ARFELLI Sylvie
AURIAC Carole
BENETEAU Pascale
BENOIT David
BONICI Anita
CHAMBON Eric
CLAR Julien
DAY Paul
DUMARCHEY Annick
EMBISE Xavier
GAUDISSART Sylvie
LION Marc Antoine
MATTEI Sophie
LE GUELAFF Laëtitia-May
MEUNIER Christelle
MOREAU VAGNON Anne
VANEL Eric
VERSTRAETEN Katty
VIALLA Eric TWEAK
PUGIN Gilles

Frac Bourgogne -TÁBOAS Sofía

Collectif de l’école des Beaux Arts de Beaune

Conceived as a stepping stone to the next Biennale planned in Nolay in 2028, the exhibition affirms a commitment to bringing contemporary sculpture closer to the local community.

Freely accessible, it appeals to both art enthusiasts and visitors passing through on the wine route.

In Santenay, sculpture doesn’t impose itself; it is discovered, in harmony with the landscape.