Undertow refers to the current of water below the surface, moving in the opposite direction from the current we see at the surface. While the smoothest sail is usually with the flow, undertows, rip tides and rip currents represent possible dangers for the journey.
How to address the Mediterranean Sea and region without navigating the depths of the odysseys of human experiences? This route has forever been one of passage; a channel for expansion, colonization and exile. Its waters have witnessed the struggles of countless individuals forced to leave behind their homes in search of refuge from conflict, wars, persecution and economic hardship. As we navigate the complexities of guest-host relations, we critically question power, privilege and responsibility. The Mediterranean Sea is the largest open-air cemetery and the stories that intersect and intertwine along its coastline are those of survival and resilience.
Guests are invited in by a welcome song (Sirine Fattouh), to witness a multitude of crossing and waiting journeys (Bouchra Khalili, Imane Djamil, Randa Maroufi, Forensic Oceanography), forms of exchanges between loved ones (Badr El Hammami, Nabila Halim), modes of diary and record keeping (Catherine Cattaruzza, Sara Kontar, Majd Abdel Hamid), evidence of historical cultural exchange in the Mediterranean Sea (Akram Zaatari) as well as revelations from the sea itself (Lara Tabet).
Initially conceived for a container pavilion accompanying the itinerant museum-boat of the Art Explora Festival, Undertow was experienced by thousands of visitors across Tangier, Athens and Barcelona between 2024- 2026. The presentation at B7L9 in Tunis marks the first iteration of the exhibition within an institutional exhibition space. This transition allows the project to unfold differently, expanding its spatial, narrative, and temporal dimensions, while maintaining the conceptual and physical memory of the container. The exhibition retains a sense of guided movement, inviting visitors to follow a suggested path that echoes the constrained yet porous circulation of the original pavilion.
The exhibition features We Knew How Beautiful They Were, These Islands a film program titled after a work by Younès Ben Slimane featuring seven videos running in loop with contributions by Firas Shehade, Hiwa K., Mounira Al Solh, Rania Stephan, Sara Sadik, Valentin Noujaïm and Younes Ben Slimane.
Press release from Kamel Lazaar Foundation
Image: Installation view from Undertow / Contre ; Courant, 2026. Photography by Mehdi Ben Temessek. mage courtesy of B7L9 Art Centre
