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Open Studios: Tamara Al-Samerraei and Ghyzlène Boukaïla
Open Studio presentations by Tamara Al-Samerraei and Ghyzlène Boukaïla, artists-in-residence at Art Explora’s Mediterranean Crossed Residency programme in Cyprus. Al-Samerraei presents new paintings exploring memory, absence, and precarious spaces, inspired by makeshift studios and abandoned huts that echo a childhood home. Boukaïla presents a mixed-media installation linked to her lecture-performance Djebel al-Qāf — is it reachable?, on view 31 Oct–2 Nov.
All dates
Open Studios: Tamara Al-Samerraei and Ghyzlène Boukaïla
Open Studio presentations by Tamara Al-Samerraei and Ghyzlène Boukaïla, artists-in-residence at Art Explora’s Mediterranean Crossed Residency programme in Cyprus. Al-Samerraei presents new paintings exploring memory, absence, and precarious spaces, inspired by makeshift studios and abandoned huts that echo a childhood home. Boukaïla presents a mixed-media installation linked to her lecture-performance Djebel al-Qāf — is it reachable?, on view 31 Oct–2 Nov.
Al-Samerraei presents new paintings that expand on her ongoing explorations of memory, absence, and the emotional landscapes of everyday spaces. Over the past five years, Al-Samerraei has turned different spaces into makeshift studios. These temporary dwellings appear as subjects in her paintings: sometimes inhabited, sometimes deserted, marked by unfinished tasks and the lingering traces of past works on their walls. She revisits what remains of a past life and a precarious working space. In these shifting states, Al-Samerraei is also drawn to abandoned, hut-like structures that feel oddly familiar, like ghosts of the perfect house she had imagined as a child. It is a kind of séance (absence), with photography as the medium. Al-Samerraei has begun creating drawings and paintings from photographs she has taken herself as well as those filtered through the eyes of absent lovers.
Ghyzlène Boukaïla presents a mixed-media installation accompanying her lecture-performance, Djebel al-Qāf — is it reachable?. The lecture-performance takes place on Sunday, 2 November, while the installation is on view from 31 October to 2 November, as part of Open Studios.
Underwater Walk
Tamara Al-Samerraei, Bed 5, 2024, Courtesy of the artist
Tamara Al-Samerraei
Tamara Al-Samerraei (b. 1977, Kuwait) is a painter who lives and works in Beirut. Her recent diaristic work explores notions of interrupted dreams, forced isolation, and recovery. Photography has always been a central medium in her practice, functioning as a way of “returning” both to painting and to the spaces she has left, or had to leave, behind. She holds a BA in Fine Arts from the Lebanese American University in Beirut (2002). She has presented solo exhibitions, most recently Promise You Made, Marfa’, Beirut (2023), and has participated in numerous group exhibitions in Lebanon and internationally.
Ghyzlène Boukaïla
Ghyzlène Boukaïla (1993, Algiers) is a multimedia artist and filmmaker. She lives and works between Algiers and Lille. Her artistic approach and sensitivity were shaped within a family of Algerian revolutionaries. Exploring issues related to postcolonialism, her work engages with new narratives connected to socio-political and digital (r)evolutions, positioning her practice at the intersection of documentary/performance and digital storytelling, while more recently delving into questions concerning posthumanism.
Practical information
Address
MeMeraki Artist Residency - 91A Ellados Street, Limassol, Cyprus 3041
Accessibility
The building is old and not accessible to wheelchairs.
Dates and times
Friday, October 31, 17:00 - 22:00 Saturday, November 1, 11:00 - 20:00 Sunday, November 2, 11:00 - 20:00
Safety
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
EXPERIENCES On board
Immersive exhibition "Présentes
Created with the exceptional collaboration of the Musée du Louvre, this exhibition highlights female figures in Mediterranean civilization, thanks to the digitization and modeling of part of the Louvre's collections. A two-stage experience: an introductory film to provide context, followed by an immersive experience in a 16-meter-long tunnel covered by 120 m2 of LED screens.
A sound journey through the Mediterranean
An immersive sound experience designed by Ircam, inviting the public to explore the richness and diversity of the Mediterranean through headphones equipped with spatialized sound.
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© Elisa Von Brockdorff
The artists
Frequently asked questions
Yes, the boat is freely accessible on site. However, you can pre-book your time online on our website.
For reasons of safety and preservation of the boat, high heels and stilettos may not be worn on the boat.
The museum boat is open to all free of charge. To find out on which quay it will be moored, or to pre-book your slot, consult the page dedicated to your town.
Appropriate facilities have been set up on the Festival site for the reception and access of people with reduced mobility. The boat is equipped with a 1m-wide ramp, accessible to people with reduced mobility, but may require the accompaniment of a third party due to its gradient of over 6%. Access to the aft deck and immersive exhibition is possible. However, the upper deck is not accessible. Please inform us in advance of any special accessibility requirements, so that we can make the necessary arrangements.