Jaou Tunis 2024: A Month-Long Celebration of Art, Resistance, and Future Reimagining
This autumn, the bustling heart of Tunis will be the stage for a transformative celebration of contemporary art. From October 9 to November 9, 2024, the city hosts the seventh edition of Jaou Tunis, a biennial event that is more than just an art showcase—it’s a dialogue, a solidarity, and a challenge to the status quo.
Art as Resistance: The Heartbeat of Jaou Tunis
In a world increasingly divided, Jaou Tunis 2024 is unity and creative defiance. This year’s theme, “Art, Resistance, and the Reconstruction of Futures,” turns the city into assortments of cultural expression. Over 60 artists converge in Tunis, bringing with them a wealth of perspectives through nine exhibitions, performances, and debates. Each venue across the city becomes a node in a sprawling network of resistance and resilience.
Studio Fan, B7L9, and 4eme Art will serve as physical selling points for this artistic renaissance, ensuring that the spirit of Jaou Tunis permeates every corner of the city.
Highlights: Stories Woven in Art
The Voices of Resistance and the Reconstruction of the Future
Here, visitors will journey through a series of exhibitions that capture the essence of resistance in its many forms. From personal struggles to collective battles, the narratives are rich and varied, portrayed through photography, film, installations, and performances. Each piece challenges the viewer to rethink what resistance means and how it shapes our futures.
In My Room by Bachir Tayachi
Bachir Tayachi invites us into an intimate exploration of heartbreak and healing. His work, “In My Room,” uses newly commissioned photographs and soundscapes to guide us through the quiet resilience that follows romantic separation. It’s a poignant reminder of how solitude can transform suffering into strength.
Personal Accounts by Gabrielle Goliath
Gabrielle Goliath’s installation, “Personal Accounts,” gives voice to survivors of patriarchal violence. These powerful testimonies turn silenced pain into collective resilience, underscoring how personal memories can fuel broader movements for change.
Unstable Point and Assembly by Taous Dahmani
Taous Dahmani reimagines public spaces as arenas of identity and uprising. “Unstable Point” transforms Avenue Habib Bourguiba into a stage for exploring fluid identities, while “Assembly” highlights the strength found in collective movements against oppression.
Our Pains Mounted on a Sun Like a Racehorse by Camille Lévy Sarfati
Inspired by Etel Adnan’s “The Arab Apocalypse,” Camille Lévy Sarfati’s exhibition explores how solidarity and care emerge from pain and rage. Through various mediums, ten artists depict paths of the human condition, reminding us that hope and interconnectedness are powerful forms of resistance.
Palestine: The Mother of Resistance by Basel Abbas and Ruanne Abou-Rahme
Basel Abbas and Ruanne Abou-Rahme transform the Entrepôt de la Ville de Tunis into a sensory landscape filled with electronic rhythms, archival materials, and poetic texts. Their site-specific works examine memory’s role in the Palestinian quest for freedom, linking stories of oppression with dreams of liberation.
Fragments of a Refuge − Fragments of Home by Rima Hassan
Rima Hassan’s photographic project, curated by Kenza Zouari, delves into the lives of Palestinian refugees. It goes beyond resilience to address identity and visibility, engaging audiences with the complexities of exile and shared struggles against systemic oppression.
MELITA: Migrants by Anne Immelé
Anne Immelé draws parallels between contemporary Mediterranean migration and ancient Phoenician journeys. Her photographs illuminate the universal quest for refuge and resistance against marginalization, highlighting the tragic inequalities between North and South.
Hopeless: A Collective Student Exhibition
Curated by Chiraz Mosbah, this exhibition presents the narratives of 41 emerging artists tackling the human realities of migration. “Hopeless” challenges dehumanizing discourses and calls for solidarity, showing each step as an act of resistance against injustice.
Jaou Lab: Fostering Tomorrow’s Artistic Leaders
The Jaou Lab initiative is a cornerstone of the biennial, dedicated to nurturing future artists. This year-long program equips 300 students from 17 public universities with the skills needed to thrive in the arts. Workshops, seminars, and competitions culminate in the “Hopeless” exhibition, highlighting the talents of Tunisia’s next generation of artists.
Engaging Minds: Reconstructing Futures Symposium
Jaou Tunis 2024 extends beyond visual art with its symposium, “Reconstructing Futures.” Thought leaders and intellectuals gather to discuss decolonization, education, and emergent forms of belonging. These dialogues aim to reshape our understanding of global governance and inspire a future grounded in justice and creativity.
Music and Performance: Celebrating Collective Creation
Music and performance play a vital role in Jaou Tunis 2024. Artists like Mansur Brown, Deena Abdelwahed, and Kamilya Jubran will deliver genre-defying performances. From violin to electronic rhythms, the musical program exemplifies the event’s spirit of creative synergy.
A Biennial for Everyone
True to its mission, Jaou Tunis 2024 makes art accessible to all. Public spaces across Tunis become stages for exhibitions, concerts, and performances, inviting everyone to engage with art and thought. This edition is an open invitation to discover, reflect, and join a collective movement of creative resistance.
Mark your calendars for October 9 to November 9, 2024. Come and be part of Jaou Tunis, where art is not just seen but felt, and resistance is celebrated as the deepest form of love.
