Al Baseqat: The Palm Tree Exhibition
Curated by Samer Yamani and Razan Masri
at Ithra Museum, SAudi Aribia
Presented as part of the Khoos initiative, Al Baseqat: The Palm Tree Exhibition explores the palm tree as both material and metaphor — a living symbol of resilience, memory, and craftsmanship deeply rooted in the cultural landscape of the region. Through a material-driven narrative, the exhibition brings together artists, designers, and researchers who reinterpret the anatomy and symbolism of the palm through contemporary practices
Conceived as an immersive journey, the exhibition’s scenography unfolds through the different parts of the palm, from its roots to its fruits, to bring together 15 works by 25 artists reinterpreting the palm as both material and metaphor an puts it in dialogue with themes of heritage, ecology, and transmission. Al Baseqat explores how the palm has shaped identity, heritage, and innovation through art, design, film, and hands-on workshops.
Mohamed Amine Hamouda is participating in Al Baseqat: The Palm Tree Exhibition at Ithra with Bouhattam (2025), a sculptural series woven from dyed palm leaves that pays tribute to the endangered saaf bouhattam palm variety native to the oases of Gabès.
Bouhattam بوحطم
2025
Dyed palm leaves
2025
Dyed palm leaves
Totem 1: 250 cm height, 70/40 cm diameter
Totem 2: 230 cm height, 70/50 cm diameter
Totem 3: 200 cm height, 50/30 cm diameter
Totem 2: 230 cm height, 70/50 cm diameter
Totem 3: 200 cm height, 50/30 cm diameter
This series is a tribute to saaf bouhattam variety of palm, now endangered—just like the entire fragile ecosystem of the Mediterranean oasis, which has been under threat since the 1970s due to the installation of chemical industries. This palm variety is well known in the oases of Gabès for the quality of its white, refined fibers (saaf). It has long been used in weaving the traditional Gabès hat, the “Mdhalla.” The totems are woven using palm leaves (waste materials from the work of traditional umbrella-weaving women artisans), natural saaf, dyed black.
October 10. 2025 — March, 2026
