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The Full Story
EXHIBITIONS
See all the art exhibitions my art has been seen in!
TGM GALLERY
La Goulette
Young Artists
Competition 2024
Among hundreds of candidates, I was the single self-taught to have been selected to exhibit my artworks, with 29 other artists, through this competition!
Every time I walked through La Marsa, I saw next to the TGM, the iconic Tunisian train, a place where, in my eyes, dreams become possible: an art gallery. And I craved it; I dreamed of being one day able to exhibit my paintings there. Although aware of the difficulties and the improbability of this dream, I chose to be bold, came in, and presented my ideas to the curators because "undoable" isn't part of my vocabulary...
"No," I heard, "You're too young, too unknown, we only showcase artists who made the history of Tunisian, Arabic and African art!" Despair was gaining me until they mumbled, "However, you can totally apply to the Young Artists competition, which is a yearly competition we organize to promote new budding talents. Unfortunately, you're late now, it was in May... But who knows, you could have been selected, perhaps give it a try next year!" The flame was revived. I needed to win.
Indeed, my participation this year, with this theme echoing my desire to reflect Tunisian culture, is a form of vengeance. Two weeks before my Baccalaureate, I was determined to paint, draw and complete my project, as I firmly believe that nothing is impossible if only we fight for it! And I did it: two weeks later, I received an acceptation letter. From July 11th to 20th, my artworks have been shoxcased there. An other "done" on my life checklist!
FUNFACT : I finished the paintings and the presentations on May 30th, the deadline day, and sent my artworks at 11:59 PM. Two days later, I passed my Philosophy Baccalaureate Exam. The subject was "Can art help us live better?"
I wrote 11 pages, arguing that art is part of our humanity, and scored a 20/20.
The paintings
In La Goulette, a plural theatre, individuals seamlessly blend into the community. Not phagocytosed, nor buried, yet embraced by this atmosphere of love and brotherhood that reigns despite differences, even thanks to differences. It was important for me to represent these two parts of the Goulette, between collective life (by Little Sicily and common places shared among all) and personal memory (by 7out yekel 7out, tribute to my childhood with my grandfather in the Goulette). In this little corner of paradise at the top of Tunisia, we are all a bit “of ourselves” and a lot of “others”...
À la Goulette, théâtre pluriel, l’individu se fond dans la collectivité. Non pas phagocyté, enseveli, mais embrassé par cette atmosphère d’amour et de fraternité qui règne malgré les différences, voire même grâce aux différences. Il était important pour moi de représenter ces deux volets de la Goulette, entre vie collective (par la Petite Sicile et les lieux communs partagés entre tous) et souvenir personnel (par 7out yekel 7out, hommage à mon enfance avec mon grand père, ce que m’évoque personnellement la Goulette). Dans ce petit coin de paradis au sommet de la Tunisie, on est tous un peu “de soi” et beaucoup “des autres”…
Petite Sicile
Summer, beach, port, food: this is what inspires me "La Goulette", a city bathed in an atmosphere of pure peace. A place of interculturalism, coexistence of beliefs, opinions, exchange and fraternity. In a word : freedom. And its historical district of Little Sicily, commonly known as "la Petite Sicile," embodies this notion.
As a homage to this city, vacillating between Tunisian traditions and exotic travel, I wanted to convey this same message of serenity. This artwork recalls both the notion of exoticism and the attachment to the motherland, its iconic places, gastronomic specialities, hidden references, films, music, and joy.
7out yekel 7out
“7out yekel 7out” is a smaller, cramped, and more personal canvas than “Little Sicily”, because it represents my Goulette, my memories, lying between mirrors and memories: my cracks and my wounds.
This painting is a reflection on time, centered on the image of fish, the culinary and economic, creative or even recreational centerpiece of La Goulette, its restaurants and its port. It is inspired by an iconic proverb, which has a different meaning for me than the original:
“حوت ياكل حوت وقليل الجهد يموت”