tour 13 of 13
Africa '05
Khaled Ben Slimane, ceramic plates (tabaq)
'The objects
remind me of my faith (Islam) having Arabic writing, beautifully
painted in an artful way, showing that religion, art and the human
mind can all work as one. I would be interested to see other works
by Mr Slimane, to get more sense and understanding of Islam from an
artist's point of view.'
Mohummed Majarally, of African-Mauritian
origin
Khaled Ben Slimane
is from the region of Nabeul, known for its established tradition
of pottery-making. In the 1970s, after travelling in Asia and Iran,
he studied at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Tunis. Here, his interest
in ceramics quickly turned into a life-long passion; he
subsequently also studied in Spain and
Japan.
These diverse
experiences significantly influence the aesthetic of
Slimane's work and his philosophical approach. He is a
strong believer in the power of heritage and tradition and
considers his work to belong firmly within the context of the
'Islamic' pottery of the Middle East and North
Africa. He sees it as his role to inject new life into the ceramic
traditions from Iran to North Africa that started to stagnate and
die in the nineteenth century because of the breakdown of
traditional
workshops.
Slimane's
works are based on four primary colours - symbolizing the elements
of earth, fire, air and water - with rough, bold, black
brushstrokes formed into delicate spirals. Ceramics are
characterized by repeated words, and phrases such as Allah (God),
er-Rouh ('the soul'), Huwa ('Him which
evokes God') form a kind of rhythmic ideogram. As well as
artworks in the form of functional domestic objects (saucers, cups,
bowls), Slimane's works include pieces inspired by Islamic
funerary architecture and also public sculptures and
installations.