Under the Tunisian Sun

Slimen Elkamel, Sous le Soleil, 2024, acrylic on canvas

"Each story has its own history, its own body and its own being. Art is nourished by the stories we weave around it, just as a person has a narrative foundation that inscribes them in the framework of past and future encounters."

– Slimen Elkamel (b. 1983, Tunisia)

Slimen Elkamel, Around the Sunflower, 2021 acrylic on canvas

A client recently suggested that I look at Tunisian artists, for there is talent to be found there - and so I did.

Slimen Elkamel is a Tunisian poet and artist who lives and works in his beloved Tunis. Born in 1983, he was raised in Mazouna, a rural area near Sidi Bouzid. His work is inspired by the experiences of his childhood - infused both with nature and with the culture of the region where traditional folklore and poetry flourished in Slimen’s youth.

Slimen Elkamel, Jours et Nuits, 2024, acrylic on canvas

He seems to weave several stories at once, one overlapping the other. Incorporating poetry, storytelling, and memories, his art gives flight to the imagination - not only his but also ours, for we can weave our own stories with the cast of characters populating his canvases.

I have no personal experience of Tunisia (an omission I aim to rectify), but it seems that Slimen’s vibrant canvases are filled with the bright intensity of its sun and at times the deep blues of its warm, vast, tranquil nights.

Slimen Elkamel, Apprivoisement, 2024, acrylic on canvas

Slimen Elkamel studied at the Institut Supérieur des Beaux-Arts in Tunis. His art has been exhibited at major galleries and art fairs, and sold at auctions. The first monograph of his works was published in 2023 by Skira Paris and is available from Barnes and Noble and Amazon amongst others. You can see more of his work on his IG account - @slimenelkamel