For the past four months, the northern quarter of Tunis has been playing host to an art fair of a different kind as since Nov. 4, cultural initiative Talan L’expo has invited guests to explore the 5th edition of its flagship event, dubbed “HIRAFEN.” Marking the 10th anniversary since the exhibition was founded by Behjet Boussofara and Aïcha Gorgi, the latest installation aims to “offer a unique dialogue between contemporary art and crafts” with the help of 19 multidisciplinary artists commissioned to share their perspectives on the Mediterranean nation’s centuries-old weaving and braiding techniques.
An age-old tradition in the North African country, organizers are attempting to provide participating creatives with the opportunity to explore this specific custom and connect, all while preserving, a ritual that has been part of Tunisia’s collective memory for generations. As each is able to offer their own approach through their respective medium and art practice, partaking guests were asked to delve into the variety of edges such an intangible heritage has to offer and whose “non-linear history is marked by changes, influences, and ruptures.”
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The title of the exhibition is, according to the founders, a neologism formed from two Arabic words — “ħirafi” and “fen”– which respectively mean “artisan” and “art” when translated into English. The contraction, which comes as a fitting introduction to the eclectic range of works on display at Ateliers C3T — a 2,000 m2 complex where the event will run until March 20 — encapsulates the spirit of an installation that seeks to bridge past and present together.
With eight nationalities hailing from several different regions of the world — including Majd Abdel Hamid from Syria, Asma Ben Aïssa from Tunisia, and Abdoulaye Konaté from Mali –diversity here is amply celebrated and even welcomed with open arms for visitors to witness how each artist will understand, absorb, and reinterpret a skill that is still very much alive despite its century-old roots.
