Massinissa Selmani

Massinissa Selmani creates drawn forms in a documentary style that mingles fictional constructions and animations with press clippings of contemporary issues and events. Through confrontation, juxtaposition, and superimposition of actual elements whose contexts have systematically been concealed, the artist creates enigmatic, ambiguous scenes unlikely to happen in reality. The works bear witness to the absurdity of human behaviors, balancing these depictions within the realms of comedy and tragedy. Architecture serves as an instrument of power throughout. Playing with positive and negative space, and effects of transparency, Selmani invites us to fill in the gaps and to question the way we remember and write history, beyond linear structure. In this way, he explores not only the production process, but also the circulation and proliferation of media images, and how they influence our perception of both historical and current events.

Massinissa Selmani(b. 1980, Algiers) studied computer science at the University of Tizi-Ouzo, Algeria (2003) and received his BFA and MFA from the École supérieure des beaux-arts in Tours, France (2008, 2010). He has recently been selected as a finalist for the Marcel Duchamp Prize (2023). He was awarded the Sam Art Projects Award for Contemporary Art and the Art [] Collector Prize (2016), and received a special mention at the 56th Venice Biennale (2015). Recent residencies include the Frac Nouvelle Aquitaine in Bordeaux, France (2023); Rhizome, Algiers (2022); and Civitella Ranieri, Italy (2021). In 2015 he was selected for the Veduta Residency as part of the 13th Biennale de Lyon, France. Selected exhibitions include Centre Pompidou, Paris (2023); Taipei Biennial, Taiwan (2023); Kochi-Muziris Biennale, India (2022-23); Drawing Biennial, The Drawing Room, London (2017, 2019, 2021); Jan Van Eyck Academy, Netherlands (2020); Fondazione Pierluigi e Natalina Remotti, Italy (2019); Palais de Tokyo, Paris (2018); Institut Valencià d’Art Modern, Spain (2018); Art Dubai, UAE (2016); the 56th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, Venice (2015); and the 13th Biennale de Lyon, France (2015). Selmani’s works are part of numerous collections, such as the Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris; British Museum, London; MAC Lyon, France; Fondazione Pierluigi e Natalina Remotti, Italy; Samdani Art Foundation, Bangladesh; Frac Centre Val de Loire, France; Centre National des Arts Plastiques, France; and Fonds d’Art contemporain – Paris collections, France.