Khaled Ben Slimane

Born Sousse,Tunisia, 1951

Ben Slimane spent his childhood in Dar Oufa near Maamoura (Nabeul, north-eastern Tunisia), an area with a long tradition of ceramic production. He graduated in ceramics from the Institut Technologique d’Art, d’Architecture et d’Urbanisme,Tunis, 1977, then pursued his studies in Spain at the Escuela Massana de Barcelona. In 1979 he returned to Tunis, where he set up his own ceramics atelier. In 1982 he travelled to Tokyo and remained in Japan until 1983, working with a number of celebrated Japanese ceramists (‘living national treasures’). Ben Slimane had his first solo exhibition in 1982 and since then has exhibited extensively, including at the Craft Council Gallery, London, in 2005. Among his numerous distinctions and awards are the National Cultural Award of Tunisia. In 1990, he was elected member of the International Academy of Ceramics, Geneva, Switzerland. His work is varied and includes commissions for large ceramic murals in collaboration with Rachid Koraïchi, as well as works on paper and oils on canvas. He lives and works in Tunisia.