Fertilité îlienne, “Island Fertility”, is a project set to take place at Maison Fleuve in late 2026. The project explores the concepts of water, insularity, and fertility through a transdisciplinary artistic approach.
It will bring together five artists supported by the ¡Viva Villa! grant and five guest artists. The project will center on an exhibition coinciding with the inauguration of the new cneai = venue, conversations about current and future research leading to a publication, and specific support provided to residents of Casa Velázquez, Villa Albertine, Villa Kujoyama, and Villa Médicis.
The cneai = is opening its doors at a new location, the Maison Fleuve, on Île-Saint-Denis. From riverbank to riverbank, from path to pier, the cneai = sails on and drops anchor once again to celebrate its thirtieth anniversary under the newly installed roof of its new home. The move to this space is conceived as an eminently fertile step. The Tahitian word for “island” is “fenua,” a term that also means “placenta” and thus refers to its intrinsic fertility. The exhibition explores the many forms of island vitality. Artists and the general public are invited to reflect on fertility, insularity, the renewal of life, and settlement through action. Thus, a central space within the exhibition will host rituals, processions, and activations throughout this grand celebration.
To mark the opening of the new art center, the cneai’s connection to publishing in newspaper format has been revived. This journal features conversations between the artists of the Fertilité îlienne project, curated by Arthur Francietta—graphic designer, artist, and typographer—as curator and artist associated with the cneai =’s 2026 program, Stephanie Melyon-Reinette as poet, and Ann Stouvenel as director of cneai = and co-curator.
Each artist in the ¡Viva Villa! program receives long-term support, with the aim of successfully completing and sharing with a wide audience the research, experiments, productions, and collaborations that take place during residencies and other projects.
• SARA BICHÃO, guest artist, in conversation with Ulla Von Brandenburg
• ULLA VON BRANDENBURG, supported by ¡Viva Villa!, in conversation with Sara Bichão
• CLODE DUGIT-GROS, guest artist, in conversation with Giulia Grossman
• ARTHUR FRANCIETTA, supported by ¡Viva Villa!, in conversation with Cécile Paris
• FANNY GICQUEL, guest artist, in conversation with Marie-Claire Messouma-Manlambien
• YANN GROSS, supported by ¡Viva Villa!, in conversation with Migline Paroumanou
• GIULIA GROSSMAN, supported by ¡Viva Villa!, in conversation with Clode Dugit-Gros
• MARIE-CLAIRE MESSOUMA-MANLAMBIEN, supported by ¡Viva Villa!, in conversation with Fanny Gicquel
• CÉCILE PARIS, guest artist, in conversation with Arthur Francietta
• MIGLINE PAROUMANOU, guest artist, in conversation with Yann Gross
The art center’s team will collaborate with Stéphanie Melyon-Reinette on both the exhibition design and the dialogue between the works, as well as on the conversations between the artists, based on the themes explored.
Also known as Nèfta Poésie (poet and artist), Stéphanie Melyon-Reinette is a performer, dancer, choreographer, cultural activist, independent scholar, and above all, a researcher.
“I am a researcher whose methodologies and techniques allow for cross-disciplinary explorations of my reflections, investigations, and ventures: performance art, poetry, choreography, sociological publications, exhibitions… ‘We are pregnant with freedom’ is a quote from Assata Shakur taken from one of her poems. It captures the essence of all my reconciled dimensions and the meaning of my commitments. We are bearers of freedoms. Of our own freedoms.”
As an activist and sociologist, Stéphanie Melyon-Reinette has authored several essays and contributed to collective works since 2009. She is interested in Black bodies in performance, Afro-diasporic/Black music and dance, gender and sexuality studies, masculinities, migration and identities, and Caribbean/Haitian cultures…
Having grown up on an archipelago, I feel a deep connection to places where the horizon serves as the backdrop. “One island implies another.”
In September 2026, the Maison Fleuve—the new home of the CNEAI, located on Île-Saint-Denis—will be inaugurated. The inauguration will take place on September 19 and 20, 2026, and will be accompanied by a series of lectures and events held both inside and around the Maison Fleuve.
September will also see the launch of the Sillages #2 public space festival, which will take over the outdoor areas surrounding Maison Fleuve and wind its way through the streets of the eco-neighborhood. Sillages #2 will run through November 2026, bringing together five artists and an exceptional interregional collaboration program.
¡Viva Villa! is a network of French artist residencies abroad, founded in 2016 by the Casa de Velázquez (Madrid), the Villa Kujoyama (Kyoto), and the Villa Medici (Rome), with the Villa Albertine (United States) joining in 2023. In 2023, ¡Viva Villa! is evolving from a festival format into a platform supporting contemporary creation through two initiatives: a grant program and a professional development day. ¡Viva Villa! promotes throughout France the work of artists, researchers, and creators who have participated in its network of residencies.
With the support of the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Higher Education and Research, the Academy of Fine Arts, the Sud Region, the Institut français, the Bettencourt Schueller Foundation, the Roederer Foundation, the Société Générale Foundation, and Ardian.
