ARTWORK
Moving Mirage – صورة سراب
engages with the concept of “internal colonialism,” as described by Mexican anthropologist Pablo González Casanova. This idea highlights the political and economic marginalization of peripheral regions compared to the central capital, where state structures prioritize industrial interests over local traditions. At the heart of this dynamic lies the exploitation of natural resources, forcing local communities to forge alliances and adopt resistance strategies. The project traces a journey along the Oued وادي of Gabès, from Ras el Oued to Chenini passing through sites such as Sod el Menzel and Oued Griaa before reaching the Mediterranean Sea. Along this path, Fradj reveals a range of natural, chemical, and artificial phenomena, including the pollution caused by the cement factory and chemical complex, operational since 1972 and 1973. The work also reflects on the migration of locals from Sidi Boulbaba to areas near the chemical industrial zone, where economic development and employment opportunities have come at the expense of the environment. The biodiversity of the oases, along with marine resources, are under threat due to waste dumping into the sea, the Oued وادي de Gabès, and the region’s groundwater.
ARTIST STATEMENT
Born in Boumerdes, Mahdia in 1989, Saif Fradj is a Tunisian independent visual artist and filmmaker based in Sousse.
After studying medecines at the faculty of Sousse, he decided to convert entirely to the image. He experiments through mobile, analog and digital photographs and through video and film his potential to represent the fragility of reality in the form of pictorial and textual documents. His body of work is a questioning about strangeness, frontiers and identity in the modern life of neo-colonialism.
His works were exhibited and screened in Tunisia, Egypt, Morroco, France and Portugal.
He is also the co-founder of Bouma Collective and of South of Ajdabya.
EXHIBITION
2024, Germany (de), On Pliny’s Paths
2024, Tunisia (tn), INTERFERENCE Autumn Program
2024, Germany (de), On Pliny’s Path
2023, Tunisia (tn), Gabes Cinema Fen
2023, Tunisia (tn), Alone in the Light – YASALAM
2023, Tunisia (tn), Residency Gabes Cinema Fen
2019, Tunisia (tn), Horizon Immédiat – Elbirou Art Gallery
2019, France (fr), Horizon Immédiat – Festival Horizon, Marseille
2018, Tunisia (tn), Démolition – Elbirou Art Gallery & Art’Com La Marsa
STUDIES
2008, Sousse (tn), Medical Faculty, University of Sousse
LINK
Featured Image
Achref Guesmi