Mohamed Amine Hamouda's ecological art reclaims Tunisia's Gabès Oasis from colonial pollution
Mohamed Amine Hamouda employs ecological art to tackle the decline of Tunisia's Gabès Oasis, the only maritime oasis globally, which has suffered due to a chemical factory established by the Tunisian Chemical Group in the 1970s. This situation has resulted in health problems, job losses, and cultural degradation. As an educator at the Institut Supérieur des Arts et Métiers de Gabès, he partners with local craftsmen to produce art from organic waste. His project Oasis Maps (2025) utilizes handmade dyes to illustrate the landscape's contradictions. Hamouda extracts pigments from native plants and creates paper from mulberry bark. His 2023 piece, NAR WE JOMMAR (FIRE & HEART OF PALM), showcases woven sculptures crafted from discarded palm materials, emphasizing ingenuity in the face of ecological challenges.
Key facts
- Mohamed Amine Hamouda focuses on reclaiming Tunisia's Gabès Oasis through ecological art
- A chemical factory built in the 1970s by the Tunisian Chemical Group has caused environmental degradation
- Hamouda teaches at the Institut Supérieur des Arts et Métiers de Gabès
- He collaborates with local artisans and farmers using organic waste and natural materials
- His series Oasis Maps (2025) depicts an aerial view of the oasis with handmade dyes and weaving
- Hamouda develops pigments from local plants and makes paper from mulberry bark
- The chemical factory is linked to French colonial interests and has led to high illness and unemployment
- Hamouda's projects include the Design Doha Biennial, a museum acquisition, and a solo exhibition in November
Entities
Artists
- Mohamed Amine Hamouda
Institutions
- Institut Supérieur des Arts et Métiers de Gabès
- Tunisian Chemical Group
- Louvre
- Design Doha Biennial
- Canvas
Locations
- Gabès
- Tunisia
- France