A contemporary art gallery based between Tunis and London that supports the growing art infrastructure in Tunisia and North Africa, offering artists a global platform within a nurturing environment and with exceptional local and international curation. Established in 2013 in London and then in Sidi Bou Saïd, Tunis, Selma Feriani’s ongoing mission has been to seek out both emerging and established contemporary artists from the MENA region and beyond, supporting their long-term career development and facilitating their recognition financially, critically and historically. To date, the gallery has presented a progressive, politically and socially conscious programme, organising critically acclaimed exhibitions, installing public interventions internationally. Providing a platform for ongoing discourse between Europe and Africa, Selma Feriani’s aim is to create balanced opportunities for exploration, research and exchange between the two continents, for artists, professionals and the public. By supporting the growing art infrastructure in Tunisia and North Africa, the gallery offers artists a global platform within a nurturing environment and with exceptional local and international curation. Founded in 2021, the gallery’s residency programme, L’Atelier, is an integral part of its mission to nurture and showcase artists wishing to springboard their careers and regularly organises and participates in not-for-profit activities such as screenings, workshops, education programmes, and talks in collaboration with various institutions and art organizations. The gallery is behind the practice development of artists such as Maha Malluh, Nidhal Chamekh, Malek Gnaoui, M'barek Bouhchichi, Massinissa Selmani, Elena Damiani and Nicene Kossentini. In January 2024, the gallery launches a new purpose-built, museum-standard space in the rapidly growing Tunis Lake district, becoming Selma Feriani’s primary address. The first commercial space of its kind in North Africa, it is designed by architect Chacha Atallah and spans 2000m2. Boasting 800sqm of museum-quality exhibition space across three rooms, a library and bookshop and an annual outdoor sculpture commission in its adjoining garden, the gallery will host rich public and education programmes placing particular emphasis on local communities. The introduction of the new institutional standard exhibition space champions the further growth of a meaningful cultural network for emerging and established artists from Tunisia and beyond.
