As choreographers, dancers, and curators, Selma & Sofiane Ouissi weave subtle connections between body, memory, and society. In their multidisciplinary practice, which has lasted for over two decades, their works are acts of resistance, gestures of succession, and spaces for creating anew. They established L’Art Rue, an artistic platform for the residents of Tunis, in 2006, and remain as co directors today. They then launched the art festival Dream City in 2007. Their activism and artistic practice have made them highly acclaimed as leading voices in the Arab world and North Africa. At Aichi Triennale 2025, they present the performance Bird together with this exhibition Laaroussa.
Laaroussa was created based on an examination of the collective memories engraved in small gestures and the powerful nature of the day-to-day activities hidden therein. This exhibition presents ceramic dolls made by the women potters of Sejnane in northwestern Tunisia and videos offering a sensitive portrayal of these potters, as well as video of a performance by the artists themselves. These works stem from the Laaroussa Project from the period between 2011 and 2013.
The word Laaroussa has two meanings “bride” and “doll.” It is a promise to the future as well as a trace of ancestral behavior that has been passed down. Within the dolls of Sejnane dwell the essence and memories of the women who created them, whose pottery skills have been inscribed on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage List. The video of the artists’ performance depicts a subtle charting of resistance and community, with materials, memories, and bodies converging to create a poetic language of movement that is powerful, yet fleeting.