ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Zineb Sedira Transforms Tate Britain's Duveen Galleries into Cinematic Environment

exhibition · 2026-05-13

Zineb Sedira's commission 'When Words Fall Silent, Cinema Speaks…' at Tate Britain's Duveen Galleries reimagines the revolutionary energy of 1960s-70s African filmmaking, centered on post-independence Algeria. The installation features a functioning cinema screening a new four-act film, a recreated Parisian café, a customized Scopitone showing Agnès Varda's 'Salut les Cubains', and a mobile 'Ciné Pop' van. It incorporates oral testimony from Boudjema Kareche and Ahmed Bedjaoui. The exhibition runs until 17 January at Tate Britain, London.

Key facts

  • Zineb Sedira's commission 'When Words Fall Silent, Cinema Speaks…' is at Tate Britain's Duveen Galleries.
  • The installation focuses on African filmmaking in the 1960s-70s, particularly post-independence Algeria.
  • Algiers became a meeting point for filmmakers, activists, and intellectuals from Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
  • The exhibition includes a newly commissioned film in four acts: scriptwriting, shooting, editing, and projection.
  • A recreated 1960s Parisian café functions as a participatory space.
  • A customized Scopitone screens excerpts from Agnès Varda's 'Salut les Cubains'.
  • A mobile 'Ciné Pop' van originally used for propaganda was repurposed for revolutionary cinema.
  • The exhibition includes oral testimony from Boudjema Kareche and Ahmed Bedjaoui.
  • The commission runs until 17 January at Tate Britain, London.

Entities

Artists

  • Zineb Sedira
  • Agnès Varda
  • Isaac Julien
  • John Akomfrah
  • Wael Shawky
  • Boudjema Kareche
  • Ahmed Bedjaoui

Institutions

  • Tate Britain
  • Cinémathèque Algérienne
  • Aesthetica Magazine

Locations

  • London
  • United Kingdom
  • Paris
  • France
  • Algiers
  • Algeria
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • South America
  • Central America

Sources