Jaou Tunis Biennale's 8th Edition Brings BIM'26 to Africa for the First Time
The 8th Jaou Tunis Biennale showcases "Becoming the Ocean," which includes 16 newly commissioned pieces co-curated by Andrea Bellini and Lina Lazaar. These works are displayed in the Quechlet El Attarine, a 19th-century Ottoman barracks located in the UNESCO-listed Medina of Tunis. Drawing inspiration from Khalil Gibran's metaphor of a river, the exhibition delves into themes of memory and solidarity through interdependence. Featured artists range from established names like Tabarak Allah Abbas to emerging talents such as Alaa Mansour. Running from 23 October to 22 November, the biennale will also take place at venues like Église Sainte-Croix and Cinema Rio. Following its Tunisian leg, the exhibition will move to Venice, Brussels, Geneva, and London.
Key facts
- The 8th Jaou Tunis Biennale runs from 23 October to 22 November in Tunis
- Becoming the Ocean is co-curated by Lina Lazaar and Andrea Bellini and features 16 newly commissioned works
- The main venue is the Quechlet El Attarine, a 19th-century Ottoman military barracks in the UNESCO-listed Medina
- The Kamel Lazaar Foundation founded the biennale in 2013
- BIM'26 leaves Switzerland for the first time to debut in Africa as part of this edition
- The Art Explora Foundation's Mediterranean festival concludes its journey in Tunis
- Satellite sites include Église Sainte-Croix, Cinema Rio, the Ancienne Bourse du Travail and the B7L9 Art Centre
- After Tunis, the exhibition tours Venice, Brussels, Geneva and London (at Ibraaz)
Entities
Artists
- Lina Lazaar
- Andrea Bellini
- Khalil Gibran
- Tabarak Allah Abbas
- Hajra Waheed
- Sarah Zeryab
- Younès Ben Slimane
- Alaa Mansour
- Liv Schulman
- Castiel Vitorino Brasileiro
- Lara Tabet
- Nabila Halim
- Mohammed el-Kurd
- Shimon Basar
- Mehdi Ben Temessek
- Sara Kontar
- Rima Hassan
- Amira Lamti
- Lydia Saidi
Institutions
- Jaou Tunis Biennale
- Kamel Lazaar Foundation
- Biennale de l'Image en Mouvement
- Art Explora Foundation
- B7L9 Art Centre
- Ibraaz
- UNESCO
- 1854 Photography
- British Journal of Photography
- Jaou Tunis
- Centre d'Art Contemporain Genève
- Artribune
- Yosr Ben Ammar Gallery
Locations
- Tunis
- Tunisia
- Geneva
- Switzerland
- Venice
- Italy
- Brussels
- Belgium
- London
- United Kingdom
- Medina of Tunis
- Quechlet El Attarine
- Église Sainte-Croix
- Cinema Rio
- Ancienne Bourse du Travail
- Africa
- North Africa
- Mediterranean