Tunisian artist revisits the past in search of authenticity
Tunis , July 17, 2007 (TunisiaOnline)--In an original exhibit held at the “Espace Bouabana” in Tunis , the painter, Samir Chouchane, casts a fresh eye on scenes from the Tunisian traditional folklore.
Chouchane's paintings take the viewer to a world of authenticity, where the past becomes a refuge from the pressures of globalization. The paintings, which reveal a fascination for the feminine, feature women wearing traditional clothes such as the Berber veil dubbed “Safsary”.
A far cry from today's consecration of skinniness, the feminine beauty canon in his works dates back to a time when plumpness was a sign of sensuality and wealth.
These nostalgia -ridden paintings shed light on the metamorphosis of Tunisian society following independence and the two successive world wars. It is clear that for the artist, modernity stands for disillusionment, as well as a painful breakaway from a cosy, sheltering past.
His escapist approach can be interpreted as a criticism of our present day world, and as an overt call to revisiting the past in view of preserving authenticity.
The artist devotes part of the exhibit to the Arab art of calligraphy. Here too, the artist's originality can be seen at work by his composition of meaningless words, meant to exacerbate by their very presence, the importance of writing in Arab culture.
The exhibit which started last week will run till July 31, 2007 .
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