Mohamed Ben Slama, an autodidact Tunisian painter, has been developing a singular artistic practice since 1997 in resonance with the society in which he lives.
The paintings of Mohamed Ben Slama are intended to remain anonymous. Faces are carefully and intentionally concealed. His inspiration is drawn from the tales of Brothers Grimm, those of La Fontaine or in Japanese manga. His figurative approach is not simple. In his first series, his compositions revolve around the man, who he paints disguised and disfigured in an absurd spectacle waiting for denouement. One could easily read his criticism of society and the modern world.
For his first exhibition at Selma Feriani Gallery, he presents his new series Anthrôpos, which seems to be the logical consequence of an evolutionary reasoning where the human of Mohamed Ben Slama gives way to singular characters, wandering in unusual places, even fantastic ones. The strange-looking protagonists, disguised in a partially animal body, celebrate the birth of a life devoid of any human presence that could be justified by the destructive nature of men.