The Biennale de l’Image en Mouvement (BIM) has announced the list of participating artists for its upcoming edition, set to open in October 2026.
For the first time, the BIM will collaborate with the Kamel Lazaar Foundation, with the biennale taking place during the next edition of Jaou Tunis. Participating artists were selected by a committee comprised of Lina Lazaar, vice president of the Kamel Lazaar Foundation, Andrea Bellini, director of the Centre d’Art Contemporain Genève, as well as Mohamed Almusibli, Shumon Basar, Fatma Cheffi, Adam HajYahia, Xue Tan and Eyal Weizman.
The expansion of BIM into Tunisia is the result of a collaboration between the Centre d’Art Contemporain Genève and the Kamel Lazaar Foundation. The encouragement of diverse perspectives has been a core part of BIM’s ethos since 2014, with a focus on commissioning new works which encompass a wide range of themes.
BIM will continue its role as a commissioning body, with the selected artists each creating work with the help of a production budget and honorarium, which will be unveiled in Tunis. The two institutions, Centre d’Art Contemporain Genève and the Kamel Lazaar Foundation, also intend to create a new platform for art from the African continent and celebrate a plurality of voices while encouraging new links across borders and cultures.
The 2026 edition of BIM will take the form of a main exhibition during Jaou Tunis, with a range of public programming running alongside, as well as a co-edited publication by the two institutions. After beginning its journey in Tunis, BIM will continue on to several other locations, including Geneva and Venice.
Bellini notes: “This could well be the most diverse group to date in BIM’s history. The strong presence of artists from across the Middle East and North Africa, and the fact that thirteen of the sixteen are women, reflects a deliberate commitment to bold, diverse voices. In dark times, this sends a powerful signal of our determination to champion a range of artistic perspectives.”
“Bringing BIM to Tunis is more than a celebration of moving images. It is an opportunity to strengthen the skills of local cultural workers and technicians as they navigate complex conditions. Beyond the works premiering here, BIM builds a network that centers voices from the Global Majority. Its legacy will endure not only in the ideas it generates, but in the people and practices that grow around them,” explains Lazaar.
Participating artists:
Tabarak Allah Abbas
Younès Ben Slimane
Mona Benyamin
S.A. Chavarría
Leena Habiballa
Roman Selim Khereddine
Zein Majali
Alaa Mansour
Paulo Nazareth
Diane Severin Nguyen
Liv Schulman
Hildegard Titus
Natasha Tontey
Castiel Vitorino Brasileiro
Hajra Waheed
Sarah Zeryab
