Twelve Sculptors Unite: A Unique Encounter and Confrontation
The challenge was daunting: to bring together twelve sculptors from different generations, spanning over fifty years of sculpture, paying tribute to the pioneers, and confronting them with their young successors, all while maintaining harmony and coherence. This was the challenge that Tgm gallery and its team had set for themselves.
The gallery, known for its bold endeavors, has organized several notable exhibitions in the past, showcasing the history of art and the confrontation of past and present artists. After hosting a magnificent exhibition on the Tunis School, the gallery invited forty contemporary artists to pay tribute to one of its masters. Similarly, it asked a group of contemporary artists to create tapestry designs for artisans in Gafsa, while also presenting similar experiences from the past.
Today, Saturday, October 18th, the gallery turns its attention to a form of art that may not be as prominent on the artistic scene, but deserves to be revisited: sculpture. The exhibition pays tribute to the old masters, particularly Hedi Selmi, a pioneer who has been synonymous with sculpture for forty years. His works can be found in Seoul, New York, Sudan, Yugoslavia, Togo, and Saudi Arabia. Although he has created many official and urban monuments, his works are rare on the art market, making this exhibition a unique opportunity.
Hechmi Marzouk, another pioneer, has made a name for himself in creating public monuments that symbolize significant dates in our history, including the equestrian statues of Bourguiba. His work stands out for its mastery of various materials, such as bronze, wood, and marble. Interestingly, Hechmi Marzouk was also an actor and set designer for Arabal's films.
Sahbi Chtioui, a master sculptor, mold-maker, and founder, is based in Morocco and is considered one of the most important contemporary sculptors in the Arab world. As an engaged artist, he paid tribute to Mohamed Bouaziz by dedicating a sculpture to him.
Mohamed Ghassan, an Iraqi artist who has been living in Tunisia for over 25 years, approaches his work with a poetic perspective, telling the story of invisible wounds and scars. His plastic writing attempts to bring together his native Oriental culture and the Maghrebi culture he has adopted. Mohamed Bouaziz sculpts marble with rigor and sensitivity.
Naget Gherissi confronts metal with humor and poetry, force and delicacy, transforming raw metal into figures full of soul and giving the material a harmonious balance between power and lightness. Omar Bey develops a polymorphic artistic practice, combining techniques, assembling everyday objects, organic elements, and industrial materials into sculptures that are both absurd and poetic.
Noutayel is perhaps the most surprising artist in this group: a kinetic artist who makes metal dance and steel soar. His work fascinates with its ability to reconcile the mechanical rigor of the engineer with the oneiric imagination of the poet. Saifeddine Ben Hamed works with marble, integrating bronze, copper, and resin, creating a dialogue between the nobility of traditional materials and contemporary exploration.
Majed Zalila and Rym Karoui offer unique trajectories. While not a sculptor in the classical sense, Majed Zalila explores space and volume through installations or three-dimensional compositions of diverted objects. However, he can be seen inviting the characters from his paintings to come out of the canvas and take on three-dimensional forms in metal, wood, or resin. Rym Karoui creates an aesthetic continuity between her painting and sculpture, with the latter being a natural extension of the former, a projection into space.
The youngest artist in this group, Mehdi Cherif, has a promising talent that is not afraid to confront his peers. Twelve sculptors, all generations and techniques combined, come together in this exceptional encounter and confrontation, not to be missed under any circumstances. The exhibition opens today, Saturday, October 18th, and will run until November 30th.
