By Jellel Gasteli
ABOUT
A contemporary art gallery and leading international platform based between Tunis and London that supports the growing art infrastructure in Tunisia and North Africa, offering artists a global platform within a nurturing environment and with exceptional local and international curation.
Founded by Selma Feriani in 2009 in London and then in Sidi Bou Saïd, Tunis, in 2013 under Selma Feriani Gallery, the gallery is today a leading international art gallery with locations in Tunis, Tunisia and London, United Kingdom, representing twenty artists. For the last 15 years, its ongoing mission has been to seek out both emerging and established contemporary artists from the MENA region and beyond, supporting their long-term career development and facilitating their recognition financially, critically and historically. To date, the gallery has presented a progressive, politically and socially conscious programme, organising critically acclaimed exhibitions, installing public interventions internationally, presenting ambitious solo shows and participating in major art fairs around the world. Providing a platform for ongoing discourse between Europe and Africa, Selma Feriani’s aim is to create balanced opportunities for exploration, research and exchange between the two continents, for artists, professionals and the public, while nurturing a cross-cultural link between Western and Global South contemporary art practices.
The gallery is behind the practice development of artists such as Maha Malluh, Nidhal Chamekh, Malek Gnaoui, M'barek Bouhchichi, Massinissa Selmani, Elena Damiani and Nicene Kossentini. By supporting the growing art infrastructure in Tunisia and North Africa, the gallery offers artists a global platform within a nurturing environment and with exceptional local and international curation. A cultural hub that places Tunisia on the contemporary art map while revitalising its cultural legacies.
In January 2024, the gallery relocated to the La Goulette Industrial Zone, launching a new purpose-built, museum-standard space in the rapidly growing Tunis Lake district, becoming Selma Feriani’s primary address. The first commercial space of its kind in North Africa, it is designed by architect Chacha Atallah and spans 2000sqm. Boasting 800sqm of museum-quality exhibition space across three rooms, a library and bookshop and an annual outdoor sculpture commission in its adjoining garden, the gallery hosts rich public and education programmes placing particular emphasis on local communities. The introduction of the new institutional-standard exhibition space champions the further growth of a meaningful cultural network for emerging and established artists from Tunisia and beyond.
Beyond its exhibition programme, Selma Feriani produces a range of cultural content, including talks, workshops, Basement Sessions (projections and performances), and collaborations with Archivart on its masterclass program.
Established in 2021, L’Atelier by Selma Feriani is a residency and research space in Bhar Lazrag, Tunis, supporting local and international artists through four annual residencies and cultural programming that encourages experimentation and cross-cultural exchange.