Artwork has all the time been a strong medium of expression, evoking a myriad of feelings in its viewers. It has usually been a refuge throughout instances of turmoil, a handmaiden of revolution and activism and a mirrored image of society and its norms and values at quieter instances. It might probably seize the general public temper and stimulate concepts, debates and improvements.
Tunisia has an extended and distinguished historical past of artwork and the appreciation of artwork. Younger artists are exploring new visions and constructing bridges to the remainder of the world by way of a rising proliferation of artwork areas. Omar Ben Yedder visits the Selma Feriani Gallery in Tunis, one of many newest to open.
Selma Feriani’s eponymous artwork gallery, which opened on twenty fifth January 2024, is without doubt one of the rising quantity which have sprung up in Tunisia within the wake of the Arab Spring which additionally ended the dictatorial rein of Zine El Abedin Ben Ali in 2011.
Feriani says this displays not solely a change within the cultural local weather, but in addition that there are fewer logistical obstacles. “What actually modified after the revolution [of 2011] was the usage of public areas, which was not attainable earlier than the revolution.
“That allowed for lots of attention-grabbing tasks sourced from outdoors galleries and out of doors establishments. There may be additionally an emergence of artwork mission areas like La Boite Up to date Artwork Centrale,” she explains.
Elevated entry to the town’s areas for the creative neighborhood has allowed larger types of self-expression, she says. “For me, probably the most necessary festivals in Tunisia is Dream Metropolis, “she says.
The ninth version of the Dream Metropolis competition happened in Tunis’s outdated city, the Medina from 22 September to eight October 2023. The programme for this distinctive competition of Artwork within the Metropolis contains quite a few works by artists from over 18 international locations – Tunisia, Morocco, Democratic Republic of Congo, France, Portugal, Lebanon, Egypt, Belgium, Syria, United Kingdom, Palestine, United States, Kuwait, Nigeria, Haiti, Turkey, Mali, and Argentina), with creations, concert events, debates and immersive tasks.
“The competition has expanded so much after the revolution as a result of they’ve been ready to make use of the Medina and downtown Tunis in a really environment friendly method. That they had entry to a variety of websites that weren’t essentially accessible to the general public.”
Artwork has all the time been central to Tunisia, which within the sixteenth century was one of many centres of Arab tradition and studying. Its creative heritage bears influences from the Levant, Italy, Spain, Persia and the Close to East, leading to a particular Arabesque fashion.
Tunisian artists have lengthy been recognised for his or her experience in creating fascinating mosaics and pottery which not solely present mesmerising ornamental designs, but in addition narratives across the tradition and historical past of the individuals.
Along with her new gallery, Feriani, who curates one other gallery in London, needs to construct cultural bridges from the Center East to Europe and Latin America. America, she says, is a spot that she’s going to flip her consideration to later.
The opening, attended by a who’s who in Tunis in addition to famend worldwide collectors and specialised media, noticed an exhibition by Nidhal Chamekh, one among 5 Tunisian artists Feriani represents as well as one other 12 worldwide ones.
She opened her first gallery in 2010 in London the place she lives and one other at Sidi Bou Mentioned, a picturesque village that’s dwelling to a bustling neighborhood of artists, in 2013. Housed in a former convent, it had nowhere close to sufficient house to accommodate the curator’s large desires. Sidi Bou Mentioned with its cobbled stones and slim streets was additionally tough to entry and the house limiting for artists to completely work with.
The brand new gallery, situated in La Goulette, an industrial port space within the northern suburbs of the capital, Tunis nevertheless, is a full 2,000sqm, sufficient to accommodate the broad ambitions of its proprietor – corresponding to having 17 artists in residence – in addition to internet hosting others from different components of the world to return and create site-specific items.
An enormous house for giant concepts
She says it’s the results of three years of “painstaking work” by herself and her staff. “My concept was to work on site-specific tasks, so each artist would come and put collectively a mission that’s particular to the house, as a result of it was very tough to develop a mission of their studios, after which come and work on the scenography. They needed to come, spend time within the house in Tunisia, after which develop the mission.”
Naturally, the very concept of such an area may be difficult however Feriani says she is pleased with the outcomes. “A brand new house comes with a problem as a result of you should get used to the house and perceive the way you’re going to take issues ahead, particularly when you find yourself displaying visually sturdy works and in addition very research-driven and with a variety of conceptual parts however I actually took my time to verify each single element is checked out. I needed to verify it’s good in order that if you are available in, you may have the identical expertise as you’d in any main gallery all over the world.” The preliminary opinions would appear to bear out her tenacity. “Artwork,” as she herself places it, “has all the time been an act of resistance.”
With this new house. “Now we have an atelier (a residency) the place the artist can spend time from August till January to supply sculptures and different installations. In September we’ll present, for the primary time in Tunis, ‘French Pavilion’ [a grouping of installations and a film by Algerian artist Zineb Sedira) so that those who couldn’t go to the Venice Biennale can watch it here in Tunis. We have a Peruvian artist coming in November with a show developed in Tunisia with marble artisans.”
On the global art map
She wants the space to be a hub for international collaborations and artistic conversations. “So we will create this bridge and foster these conversations which, for me, are very important.” She has a schedule of events already planned for the next two years.
Feriani’s desire for international cooperation is mirrored by international interest in the artists that she is curating, some of whom have been associated with her gallery for over a decade and have really matured in their output over the period.
She expects that some of the artists will have the opportunity to showcase their work at the next Venice Biennale, for example, while globally renowned galleries such as the Tate Modern in London and the Guggenheim in New York, US.
A lot of institutions globally are looking at us as a result of the work we have done to promote our artists. I think curators and institutions are definitely looking at what’s happening here. Undoubtedly, we are on the map for them now.”
Will local collectors be able to make her venture viable? Despite the growth of the local art scene and collectors in Tunisia, Feriani says she doesn’t anticipate commercial success in the near term, especially given the economic downturn the country is facing.
“Commercially, the domestic market alone will not make [the gallery] essentially viable. I feel that’s the case for many of the business galleries and excursions as a result of there are only a few home collectors and they’re very worth delicate as nicely. And I don’t suppose it’s going to get higher anytime quickly.” she reviews.
Nonetheless that has not deterred her. “It seems difficult proper now however we have now a imaginative and prescient and we have now a method, so there isn’t any method for us to go backwards. We’ll proceed to develop issues again dwelling. It’s within the DNA of the gallery. It’s my imaginative and prescient, my technique, and it’s necessary for me to do it in Tunisia and to have a voice from Tunisia to the world,” she says.
It certainly additionally helps that as a global gallery, the works are displayed elsewhere (in Western cities), enabling them to succeed in a wider viewers and potential consumers.
World class
Feriani says she intends the gallery requirements and high quality to evolve to world class – her inspiration is London’s well-known White Dice.
“However I actually took my time to verify of each single element. I needed to verify it’s good in order that if you are available in, you may have the identical expertise as you’d in any main gallery all over the world.” The preliminary opinions bear out her tenacity. “Artwork,” as she herself places it, “has all the time been an act of resistance.”
The gallery additionally has further services corresponding to a bookstore and a library the place individuals can both purchase or borrow books. Once more, in contrast to in purely business galleries, viewers will get a peek behind the curtains of the artistic course of, as they have been capable of with the exhibition that the gallery opened with.
“For the present we put collectively for Nidhal Chamekh, we had the principle house exhibiting the mission however on the mezzanine and within the basement, we have been capable of present the method, how the exhibition was made and all of the bibliography, that means all the data and books utilized by the artist and the imagery and analysis behind the mission.”
This is a long way from the standard business gallery the place guests are solely capable of see the product and make a purchase order when they’re moved to. “It was necessary for me to point out somewhat little bit of what occurs behind the exhibition as a result of it offers artists and in addition college students a strategy to entry the analysis and to raised perceive the considering behind the artistic work,” she emphasises.
Summarising the idea behind her efforts, she says: “What we are attempting to do, just isn’t solely to advertise artwork, however every little thing associated to the town of Tunis.
“So individuals can come, journey for 3 days or an extended weekend and never solely go to the seaside but in addition uncover all of the artwork centres and studios; participate in culinary excursions and naturally, go to essentially the most well-known museums – Carthage, and its Roman ruins, and the newly renovated Bardo, one of many largest museums on the continent. So we offered a tailor-made programme for our worldwide friends.”
Feriani says she has obtained optimistic suggestions from critics, curators, collectors, journalists and artwork lovers who noticed the primary exhibition and the town of Tunis as a part of the package deal. For her, that’s precisely the target she has set out for herself.
All photos © Selma Feriani Gallery
