Images de Tunisie
April 11–June 29, 2024
The Zaha Hadid Foundation (ZHF) presents Tunisian artist Younès Ben Slimane’s first solo exhibition in the UK, Images de Tunisie, which opens on April 11, 2024 at the Foundation’s gallery in Clerkenwell, London. ZHF commissioned Ben Slimane to research and create new work that relates to cultural hybridity and interdisciplinarity in architecture and the built environment. The exhibition brings together three of his films exploring the meaning of images and architectural legacies in Tunisia. It includes Images de Tunisie (2024), a newly commissioned film by ZHF.
Images de Tunisie (2024) is an intimate portrayal of Tunisia’s architectural landscape and its atmospheres, memories and traditions. The film appropriates ethnographic documentaries on architecture and rural life in Tunisia, sourced from France’s national audiovisual archive (INA). Scenes from 1940s newsreels produced by Les Actualités Françaises are combined with new footage from the same sites, including Matmata, Douiret and Tameghza.
Ben Slimane said: “The film’s title is adopted from Georges Barrois’ ethnographic documentary Images de Tunisie (1946), which interested me for its ability to create images and shape narratives. I reappropriated extracts from this, and other historic documentaries produced by Les Actualités Françaises, by manipulating the voiceovers of the scenes. Last year, I returned to the sites featured in these films to recapture the scenes from my personal vantage point.”
The exhibition also features Parallel (2018), which presents the interplay between steam and natural light inside of interior of a hammam in Hammamet, where the first public baths in the city were built by the Romans. In addition, All Come From Dust (2019) is an exploration into the preservation of the craftmanship of bricklaying in Tozeur, where Ben Slimane’s ancestors lived and worked. He said: “At the heart of my artistic process lies a fascination with the spirit of places, in which every location possesses a unique essence shaped by its history, people and environment. I immerse myself in these surroundings to embrace the sights, sounds and atmospheres that define a place, to uncover its hidden stories within the echoes of the past.”
Johan Deurell, Curator (ZHF), said: “Younès Ben Slimane has created a beautiful and complex new film by layering and altering historic depictions of Tunisian architecture and adding new footage and sound. Images de Tunisie is a commentary on the evolution of cinematic language, shifting power dynamics and the meaning of images.”
Jane Pavitt, Head of Research and Learning (ZHF), said: “In the spirit of Zaha’s own interdisciplinary practice, our new commission explores creative approaches to the built environment, foregrounding and celebrating cultural diversity.”
The exhibition has been conceived with support from Kvadrat and France’s Institut national de l’audiovisuel (INA). The exhibition’s graphic identity is designed by Offshore.
Press enquiries: Serena Lawrance, Communications Officer, s.lawrance [at] zhfoundation.com.
Exhibition information
Dates: April 11–June 29, 2024
Hours: Tuesday–Friday, 10am–6pm; Saturday 12–6pm
Location: Zaha Hadid Foundation, 10 Bowling Green Lane, London, EC1R 0BQ. Free entry.
Public programme
Images de Tunisie is accompanied by a public programme of free talks and events.
Younès Ben Slimane artist talk: Artist and filmmaker Younès Ben Slimane will talk about his work and new commission. / Archiving Sounds panel talk: Cheb Mimo, Olivia Melkonian and others will discuss sonic production, curation and archiving. / Selima Naji architects talks: Salima Naji will discuss her work to save and restore the heritage of Morocco. / Bushra Mohamed architects talks: Bushra Mohamed will talk about the work of Msoma Architects. / LFA Late: Images de Tunisie: ZHF will take part in the London Festival of Architecture’s Studio Late in Clerkenwell. / Collective for Architecture Lebanon architects talks: Collective for Architecture Lebanon (CAL) will be talking about their practice.
About the Zaha Hadid Foundation
The Zaha Hadid Foundation (ZHF) was founded in 2013 by the globally renowned architect, designer and artist Zaha Hadid. The Foundation was re-launched and became fully active in 2022. It is housed in two buildings in London, in Zaha’s former office at 10 Bowling Green Lane, Clerkenwell, and at Shad Thames, on the south bank of the river.
The founding purpose of ZHF is to preserve, study and exhibit the full range of Zaha’s work. As well as managing its collection and archive of c.15,000 works, ZHF curates exhibitions related to Zaha’s work and artistic outlook, promotes learning through public talks, events, publications and loans, and supports research at all levels through grants, bursaries and fellowships.
About Younès Ben Slimane
Younès Ben Slimane is a Tunisian artist and filmmaker based in Paris, France. Ben Slimane’s work has been exhibited at Mucem, France, Solar -Galeria de Arte Cinemática, Portugal, and at the Museum of Contemporary Art, North Macedonia, and his films have been screened at international festivals such as Locarno Film Festival, Switzerland, and CPH:DOX, Denmark. His work is part of several collections including MACBA and Kadist Art Foundation. This year, he will be participating at Dakar Biennale of Contemporary African Art, Senegal.
Ben Slimane completed his degree in architecture at l’École Nationale d’Architecture et d’Urbanisme, Tunisia, and his post-graduate studies at Le Fresnoy—Studio National des Arts Contemporains, France. He has undertaken artist residencies at Fiminco and Cité Internationale des Arts, France, and Villa Medici, Italy.
