PARIS
12 JUNE TO 2 AUGUST
Born in Gabes in 1983, Malek Gnaoui lives and works in Tunis. His work explores issues related to social conditions and offers an engaged reflection on the current sociopolitical context in Tunisia. Through video, ceramics, printmaking, installation, sound, and performance, his approach to materiality leads him to develop a practice involving everyday materials and traditional techniques.
Currently in acreative residency at the Cité internationale des arts in Paris, artist Malek Gnaoui is preparing his upcoming exhibition Curva, which will be presented in the Parisian space of Fondation H starting on 12 June, 2025.
Curva, written by Kenza Jemmali, February 2025
Curva, a term evoking both the physical space of stadium stands and the collective state of mind of ultras, is the starting point of Malek Gnaoui’s latest body of work. In this project, he draws from the deep-rooted culture of football supporter groups, not only as a phenomenon of organized fandom but as a social construct that reflects broader societal structures. The curva is more than a gathering of voices; it is a microcosm of community, identity, and resistance and a collective body bound by codes, rituals, and an unspoken yet rigid sense of belonging.
These groups, united and organized, trace their origins to the early days—first emerging in Greece during the ’30s and later in Brazil—where, as fans, they became carriers of deeply rooted societal messages. What began as a collective of protesters, marginalized from public spaces, evolved into ultras whose history forms an endless loop of resilience that the artist continuously refracts and reinterprets.
From Italy’s curva sud, which became a defining model of ultra culture in the ’60s and ’70s, to the politically charged supporter factions in Eastern Europe, the movement has continually shifted, mirroring the socio-political climates from which it emerges. Rather than simply tracing this evolution, Gnaoui examines how its visual and material language has been shaped over time, offering a new way of looking at this ever-changing phenomenon.
The idea of Curva / Ultras—as both a physical and psychological space—serves as a lens through which Gnaoui explores the thin line between strength and vulnerability. The ultras appear rigid, their collective presence commanding, yet within this structure lies an underlying fragility, an emotional intensity that mirrors the contradictions of the societies they emerge from. Their chants, synchronized movements, and unwavering devotion to their teams take on a near-religious dimension, transforming stadiums into spaces of ritual and belief, where voices rise in unison like a form of collective prayer. It is from this deeply ingrained culture that Gnaoui draws inspiration, seeing in it an echo of sacred spaces, where symbols and gestures hold a power beyond their immediate function.
Gnaoui’s engagement with the subject stems from both personal history and a broader socio-political reflection. Growing uparound this culture, he witnessed its capacity to unite and create a sense of purpose, but also its variously deep complexities and the fine line between structure and volatility. Through this work, he offers a revisualization of the ultras’ world that extends beyond the spectacle of the game into the fundamental questions of human ties, resilience, and fragility.
In a subtle, almost cinematographic approach, he creates mise en scènes where objects, materials, and gestures become actors in an ongoing narrative. His sculptural interventions reinterpret elements of urban expression, transforming graffiti into moldings, reclaiming protest symbols and stadium iconography while reconstructing ephemeral displays of solidarity. Just as ultras leave their imprints on urban space, Gnaoui’s work captures and reconfigures these traces, presenting them not as static relics but as dynamic elements in a continuous cycle of erasure and resurgence. Also Inspired by the way religious spaces use visual storytelling, such as the stained-glass windows of churches, Gnaoui seeks to infuse these raw, everyday materials with a sense of the sacred. By transposing the most basic, often overlooked elements of urban culture into compositions that recall these hallowed aesthetics, he highlights the paradox of reverence within the ultra movement itself.
Through material experimentation, Gnaoui transcends the industrial heft of concrete and iron, integrating unexpected elements that disrupt and soften their perceived harshness. This interplay-between what appears unyielding and what is, in reality, delicate-serves as an analogy for both the individuals within these groups and the broader social constructs they navigate. The artist dissects and reassembles his materials — redrawing, adding, and removing — to create combinations that, though they might sound ordinary, emerge as meticulously elaborate constructs.This approach invites the viewer to engage deeply, question the apparent, and uncover hidden narratives within these layered compositions.
With this work, Gnaoui reaffirms his long-standing commitment to exploring the intersections of personal memory, social history, and materiality. Curva is not just a representation of ultras, it is a reflection on the very nature of belonging and the weight of collective identity exploring the tension that shapes them and fragility within.
BIOGRAPHY OF MALEK GNAOUI
Born in 1983 in Gabes, Tunisia, Malek Gnaoui lives and works in Tunis. He graduated in 2007 from the School of Art and Decoration of Tunis and trained in the art of ceramics at the National Center for Ceramic Arts - Sidi Kacem Jellizi in Tunis, Tunisia.
Malek Gnaoui's work explores themes related to social conditions and the concept of human sacrifice. Through video, ceramics, engraving, installation, sound, and performance, his approach to materiality leads him to develop a practice that integrates everyday materials and traditional techniques. His alternative and hybrid approach transcends the utilitarian confines of ceramics to create unexpected and singular atmospheres.
Anchored in materiality, his work broadly reflects an engaged dialogue within Tunisia's current sociopolitical context.
During his internship at the National Center for Ceramic Arts, located in the mausoleum of Sidi Kacem Jellizi, while observing worshippers offering sheep as sacrifices,he developed a reflection on the symbolism of sacrificial acts. Since 2011, his work has revolved around recurring themes and symbols embodying the dualities of life and death, past and present. By employing a wide range of media, Malek Gnaoui immerses himself into the concept of spirituality, exploring civilizations from ancient times to the contemporary era. His exploration of bodies, elements, and materials underscores the physical involvement in the creation of his works, which often exude a performative dimension.
A prominent figure in Tunisia's contemporary art scene, Malek Gnaoui gained international recognition through Politiques, a collective he co-founded with other artists in 2011. Represented by the Tunisian Selma Feriani Gallery, he has recently presented ambitious projects at Salon d’Octobre in Belgrade, Serbia, and the KANAL Centre Pompidou in Brussels, Belgium, in 2024, as well as at the Dom Museum in Vienna, Austria, in 2021, and the Sharjah Biennial in the United Arab Emirates.
His work is also part of prestigious collections, including Fondation H in Antananarivo, Madagascar, the Dom Museum in Vienna, Austria, and both the Victoria and Albert Museum and the British Museum in London, United Kingdom.