
M’barek Bouhchichi Moroccan , b. 1975
I am here, 2025
Glazed pottery
241h x 59 diam cm
MB-000128
I Am Here (2025) replicates the ceramic jars used in Gougou, a musical and dance ritual practiced by Black populations from the Zarzis region, Tunisia, where performers stack clay jars...
I Am Here (2025) replicates the ceramic jars used in Gougou, a musical and dance ritual practiced by Black populations from the Zarzis region, Tunisia, where performers stack clay jars on their heads while dancing. In I Am Here, the jars are inscribed with verses from a poem titled “الحراقة ” [The Burners, or clandestine migrants] by M’barek Toumi, a poet from the Ghbonten tribe in South-Eastern Tunisia. By way of this juxtaposition, Bouhchichi makes clear the fundamental connection between the ongoing tragedy of Mediterranean crossings and the longer history of trans-Saharan displacement.