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This exhibition presents a unique collaboration between the artist Jafer Taoun and the great poet Adonis. Their creative dialogue began several years ago, leading to the creation of several works that bridges the visual and literary arts.
For this exhibition, their second collaboration, the creative process began with Taoun's abstract paintings as the initial for a profound artistic dialogue.
These evocative works inspired Adonis to add a poetic response, blending the text on the paintings in a seamless interplay. Adonis chose to work with selections of Arabic poetry, which he considers among the finest in Arabic poetry. Adonis integrated these poetic fragments into Taoun's paintings, creating a harmonious fusion of word and form.
While the Arabic language may be unfamiliar to some viewers, its rhythmic beauty, combined with Taoun's paintings, transcends linguistic boundaries.
The exhibition promises an exceptional experience, where the elements visually resonate in perfect harmony, inviting viewers to step into the world of their creation.

Artists: Wissem El-Abed (Tunisia), Severin Guelpa (Switzerland), Eleonore Josso (France), Amine Melki (Tunisia), Fredj Moussa (Tunisia/France), Asma Laajimi (Tunisia), Mouna Jemal Siala (Tunisia), Diogo Pereira (Portugal), Mohamed Ben Soltane (Tunisia), Ahlem Chihaoui (Tunisia), Nesrin Boukhari (Syria/Austria), Omar Bey (Tunisia), Mustapha Sedjal (Algeria/France), Selim Ben Cheikh (Tunisia), Shelley Vanderbyl (Canada), Khaled Abedrabbou (Tunisia), Mats Hjelm (Sweden), Najah Zarbout (Tunisia), Carima Neusser (Sweden), Sara A. Tremblay (Canada), Edgar Endress (Chile), Muhammad Ali (Syria/Sweden), Karama Sayadi (Tunisia), Per Huttner (Sweden).

Curators: Abir Boukhari & Karim Sghaier

This project consisted of inviting 24 artists to occupy 24 rooms on several floors currently being renovated at the Nour Justinia hotel in Sousse.
The hotel accommodates artists in renovated rooms, while the rooms under construction are transformed into temporary studios...
Rooms with a sea view that will thus receive a new type of tenant, not tourists but artists from various backgrounds, Tunisian and international, emerging and established, who will mark their stay in these rooms with new creations.
UV – FULLY BOOKED, a hotel that is fully booked even though it is partly under construction; not to fill a void, but as a demonstration of the inherent relationship between art and the phases of transformation that are often conducive to creation.

How can art be a therapeutic trajectory for artists and a powerful tool for improving our lives within the context of our suffering world? Our world has agonizing wars, pandemics, economic vulnerabilities and ecosystem failures. Yet, do we still believe art can create change when feelings of despair dominate our thoughts? Can we dare to think of our inner power as a form of action against this global collapse?

Since 2017, I have curated a series of projects on art as therapy. The artists in these projects create art as a reflection of their experiences. They challenge themselves and others by producing artwork on healing that evokes a life worth living. When first started curating the concept of art as therapeutic, the world had not yet faced the universal pain of the pandemic. Then I revisited this concept during the pandemic to show artists working during a time of isolation, separation, and death. So, I curated their artwork as a mobile exhibition for elderly in-home care. The show was presented inside a box. The idea was to provide positive energy through art.

The mobile exhibition motivated a new project – Inside, I hide my Happiness – using boxes to challenge new thoughts about the optimistic energy exchange between artists and viewers.

The artists in the project explore the idea of Happiness—the highest purpose of individuals—in reference to Aristotle's quotation, "Happiness depends upon ourselves."

Each artist uses the box as a format to create and contain their personal story. In this sense, the box acts as a symbolic body. It embraces an inner world that holds, hides, and reflects life's pain, hope, and Happiness.

he project seeks to provide an encounter with Happiness by presenting artworks as magical boxes, each filled with different stories. The boxes reveal a sense of how Happiness varies between individuals and how the desires for happiness change over time. The resulting exhibition affirms the expression of Happiness within a small intimate space within a larger public space.

Can artists provide a glimpse into an inner world that sparks a ray of Happiness, which evolves into a more positive perspective on life?
When we speak about art and Happiness, does a "beautiful" work evoke Happiness, or does Happiness evolve through art that challenges our mind in more profound directions?
Can art generate thoughts and energy in meaningful ways to create a better world?

About the works

The international group exhibition “Unhealed” delves into the aftermath of the uprisings and revolutions, that swept through the Arab world starting in 2010.

These events altered the lives of millions of people, many of whom as a consequence now live in Sweden. With this exhibition, Moderna Museet Malmö proudly presents seventeen artist who, in poignant and thought-provoking ways, have addressed this still unfolding chapter in history.

What may feel too complicated or painful to convey in words can find other means of expression through art. “Unhealed” portrays existential experiences amid major social upheaval. The exhibition embodies a poetic narrative rather than a strict historical account. It navigates through the endless circle of hope and despair, bringing us beyond political analysis.

The contributing artists are predominantly based in Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Marocco, Syria, Tunisia, and Yemen, but also in Albania, Italy, Romania, and Sweden.

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