Institut du Monde Arabe Celebrates 30 Years with Collective Artwork

The Institut du Monde Arabe (IMA) in Paris is marking its 30th anniversary with a large-scale collective and evolving artwork titled 'Un œil ouvert sur le monde arabe' (An Open Eye on the Arab World). The piece consists of 240 original works referencing the 240 moucharabiehs on the iconic facade designed by Jean Nouvel. Moucharabiehs are traditional natural ventilation devices in Arab architecture. The project results from a call launched by IMA and the agency Fred et Farid. The 240 selected artists were invited to work using the 'cadavre exquis' (exquisite corpse) method, a surrealist collective game where each participant contributes without seeing the full composition. Originally a literary game in 1925 Paris, it was adapted to drawing by covering completed parts. For this exhibition, only three edges of the work were shown to each contributing artist. The colossal collective piece is being unveiled in three stages: the first on May 15 revealed the initial 114 artists, the next on September 18, and the final on November 6. The complete work will be on view until January 6, 2019. Notable participating artists include photographer Hassene Hamaoui, Italian-Senegalese photographer Maïmouna Guerresi, Algerian artist Samta Benyahia, Aïcha Filali, and Ilyes Messaoudi.