Aïcha Snoussi's Tétanos exhibition at 32Bis explores contamination through industrial metaphors

Aïcha Snoussi's exhibition Tétanos at 32Bis in Tunis uses tetanus as a metaphor for contamination, questioning how forces infect objects and memory. Curated by Hela Djobbi, the show runs until 13 February 2026. The building, originally a Philips factory constructed in 1953, now serves as a creative space in an area once dominated by manufacturing. Snoussi's installations draw on this industrial past across three thematic floors. In the Museum area, Mechanical Transit Box N402 to N405 (2025) features wooden coffins anchored with metal parts and chains, while Apotropaic Veils 402, 403, and 405 (2025) present green silk velvet embroidered with Arabic vocalization symbols. Lost Items Inventory (2025) displays oxidized metal parts, referencing tetanus transmission through rust. The Archaeological Site floor includes Rust Room 1 (2025) with scrap metals, Kitab al-Āla wal-Ghayb (2025) with drawings and notes, and Rust Room 2 (2025) showing metal parts spilling from containers. On the Living Space floor, sound bites created with Oussema Menchaoui evoke factory machinery, alongside installations like Transfluid Chamber (2025) with PVC pipes and Die Machine Kafka 6-12 (2025) with moving mechanical parts. Hide_32 (2025) features leather and canvas suits hung by chains, with gloves dipped in ochre, orange, and red shades pinned to walls, suggesting human roles in contamination. The exhibition probes how object value shifts over time and through interaction.