Ombre (ظل)
March 20 – May 30, 2026
Reception: March 20, 5–7 p.m.
KSU Downtown Gallery, Kent
Ombre (ظل) brings together a selection of works by Massinissa Selmani, centered on the subtle yet powerful relationship between object and shadow. Through pared-down compositions—where absence is as significant as presence—Selmani constructs scenes that evoke the psychological weight of everyday life. Fragments of architecture, figures, and familiar objects emerge from memory and current events, collaged into quiet, surreal arrangements shaped by the interplay of light and darkness.
Internationally recognized for his distinctive approach to drawing, which extends into print and video, Selmani continues to explore how minimal gestures can carry complex political and emotional resonance. His practice reflects a position between histories and geographies, informed by his life between Algeria and France.
Born in 1980 in Algiers, Selmani lives and works between Tours and Tizi-Ouzou. His work has been widely exhibited internationally, and he was notably a finalist for the Marcel Duchamp Prize in 2023, following an honorable mention by curator Okwui Enwezor at the 56th Venice Biennale in 2015.
These installation views offer a glimpse into the exhibition’s spatial narrative, where shadow becomes both subject and structure, guiding the viewer through a landscape of quiet tension and poetic restraint.
