Aymen Mbarki | "A certain distance"
La Boite, Tunis, Tunisia
29 May - 29 August 2025
"But you, who are so learned in the magical arts, surely you
can easily restore me to my former shape? "
Apuleius, Metamorphoses, Book III Chapter 21.
Between ancient ritual practices and artistic concepts emerges the exhibition of Aymen Mbarki's "A Certain Distance..." A collection of artworks that speak both familiar and forgotten idioms, it functions as contemporary talismans, drawing upon the rich tradition of apotropaic protective art that flourished across North Africa and the ancient Mediterranean.
In the Carthaginian world, protective inscriptions and figures served as barriers against evil spirits and invisible forces. With the Arabic-Islamic period, the use of a protective amulet called "hirz" gained popularity. Its magical formula was based on combining coded symbols and letters with Quranic verses.
The drawings of Aymen Mbarki, rendered in black acrylic, ink, and charcoal on recycled paper, invoke these spiritual mark-making practices that have occurred for centuries.
The visual language rooted in multiple cultural backgrounds is not just aesthetic borrowing but research of elements and compositions to build a new fusional, syncretic expression.
The artist's choice of medium in "A Certain Distance..." becomes significant, as the recycled paper has within its fibers the footprint of old inscriptions. The black marks create their own mythology. The use of charcoal, born from fire's transformation of organic substance, carries the memory of ofrenda and ex-voto. The ink lines mirror the magic in tribal tattoos. The key idea of this body of work is its understanding that protective art has always been functional rather than merely decorative. These drawings do not simply reference talismanic traditions; they embody them.
The recycled paper in "A Certain Distance..." reflects the historical use of found materials in folk magical practices and shamanic rituals. The monochromatic palette strips away distraction, focusing attention on the essential relationship between
mark and meaning.
Inspired by both archaeological artifacts and prophetic texts, the artist invokes ancient protective formulas while projecting them into an uncertain future.
This is a process that recognizes no clear boundary between art-making and metaphysical expressiveness. Roman iconography for today's uncertainty. Contemporary "hirz" for contemporary fears.
The artworks of Aymen Mbarki dig into this universal impulse to make protective marks against invisible dangers threatening human safety and well-being.
Text by Nizar Rejeb
Cultural heritage and art history researcher
