Formed at the Haute École des Arts du Rhin (HEAR, 2015), Ouissem Moalla (born in 1990 in Stockholm) explores themes of space and memory in his work, drawing inspiration from the research of historian Frances A. Yates. He draws from popular and literary culture, myths, and major texts, with language as a recurring thread. This takes shape through performances, installations, and paintings in which he questions space, our relationship to places, cosmogony, and beliefs.

Whether in Mulhouse, where his studio is located, or during residencies (Motoco&co Tokyo 2018; CEEAC - Basis E.v. Frankfurt 2023; Villa Salammbô Institut français Tunisia 2024), he works with the remnants of industrial ruins (G.O.L.D, 2017), explores myths and representations of urban gateways (Impressions d’Espaces, 2024), wanders around a Shinto shrine carrying chairs strapped to his back to form the character 目 (mù / eye) (Monkey, 2018), or reinterprets mystical texts by intertwining language and the body (Clavis Tabula, 2023). His work, enriched by multicultural influences, flirts with the human and social sciences, questioning archives and communities.

Ouissem Moalla classifies his works into «series», each forming a universe that he continuously expands with new projects exploring the same themes.

29. juin 2017

Exhibition : " KONNEXIONES "

" J'ai le plaisir de vous inviter au vernissage de l'exposition "Konnexiones" le 14 Juillet 2017 - 18h00 à l'instiut Atelier Mondial - International Arts Exchange Program à Bâle - Swiss . En attendant retrouvez chaque jour des informations sur la page dédié. "

I am pleased to invite you to the opening of the exhibition "Konnexiones" on 14 July 2017 - 6 pm at Atelier Mondial - International Arts Exchange Program. In the meantime you can find information on the dedicated page every day.

Extrait texte : Fondamentaux.

" Le projet d’exposition KONNEXIONES est né dans les ateliers de la structure culturelle Motoco installé dans une friche industrielle des anciennes filatures DMC à Mulhouse-France. Le projet Motoco initié en 2013 regroupe aujourd’hui des ateliers d’artistes et bureaux d’études variées natives des trois frontières et bénéficie également d’une affluence internationale dans le cadre des résidences qu’elle accueil. L’environnement post industriel impacte fortement sur les recherches artistique. Le lieu caractérisé par une architecture géométrique et rythmé se trouve encore synthétisé par des matériaux atypiques d’un siècle dépassé, favorisant l’emploi de matières d’origine industrielles. La proximité des artistes présentés à l’exposition est une évolution dans ce cadre particulier.

C’est ainsi que la démarche Upcycling de Gérard Dumora se retrouve dans les tissages traditionnelles de Bëërt Sanchez, illustrant les compositions géométrique de Ouissem Moalla. Une connexion à l’environnement dans l’emploi de brique de construction ou de déchets textiles, parfois culturelle, dans le parallèle entre une esthétique ethnique primitive et les codes symboliques modernes. "

"The exhibition project KONNEXIONES was born in the workshops of the cultural structure Motoco installed in an industrial wasteland of the old DMC mills in Mulhouse-France. The Motoco project, initiated in 2013, now includes workshops by artists and various research departments native to the three borders and also benefits from an international affluence within the residences it welcomes. The post-industrial environment has a strong impact on artistic research. The place characterized by a geometric and rhythmic architecture is still synthesized by atypical materials of a century past, favoring the use of materials of industrial origin. The proximity of the artists presented at the exhibition is an evolution in this particular setting.

This is how Gérard Dumora's Upcycling approach can be found in the traditional weaves of Bëërt Sanchez, illustrating the geometrical compositions of Ouissem Moalla. A connection to the environment in the use of building bricks or textile waste, sometimes cultural, in the parallel between a primitive ethnic aesthetic and modern symbolic codes."