L'image révélée: Orientalist Photography Meets Contemporary Arab Art in Tunis

The exhibition 'L'image révélée. De l'orientalisme à l'art contemporain' at the Musée de la ville de Tunis, Palais Kheïreddine (20/09-04/11/06) juxtaposes early 20th-century orientalist photographs with contemporary works by Arab artists. Initiated by painter Meriem Bouderbala and supported by the Institut français de coopération, the show faced censorship from the Municipality of Tunis over nudity in Lehnert's photographs from 1905-1907. The ground floor displays around forty surviving orientalist images, while the first floor features video and photo works by six Tunisian artists (five women) and international figures like Adel Abdessemed and Mounir Fatmi. The exhibition explores how contemporary artists construct identity from stereotypical imagery, with Bouderbala shifting from painting to photographic self-portraiture. Mouna Karrey's diptychs and Zoulikha Bouabdellah's video 'Vois-le' further examine doubling and veiling. The censored photographs' empty frames become mirrors, revealing the female artist's image.