ARABOFUTURS: An Exploration of Fictional Worlds at the Institut du Monde Arabe
The Museum of the Institut du Monde Arabe transforms itself into a dimensional portal to host the exhibition ARABOFUTURS, which plunges us into the frontiers of science fiction and new imaginary worlds. Curated by Elodie Bouffard and Nawel Dehina, the exhibition features the work of 18 artists from the Arab World and its diaspora, challenging us to question our contemporary societies and inviting us to dream of future worlds. This journey begins with Gulf futurism, an innovative concept introduced by Sophia Al-Maria and Fatima Qadiri in 2012. This notion discloses issues caused by the rampant process of hyper-modernisation spanning the Gulf, signified by a gigantic labyrinth-like mall. Similar narratives are explored through works like Meriem Bennani and Sara Sadik’s immersive installations, which blend pop culture references and Moroccan history and culture, weaving a new and hybrid history. The Hybrid Futures section opens up a space for speculation and exploration of potential new horizons. Neïla Czermak Ichti, for example, examines otherness and alterity through flying faces and portrayals of witches. Other artists build on the techno-scientific SF, reinterpreting this aesthetic of the 30s to subvert it.
The show closes on an ecological note, a meditative exploration of organic worlds and visions of post-human resilience. Berrada and Al Ghamdi’s works evoke a newly conceived Earth, where the boundary between organic and inorganic blurs in a symphony of renewal. It is a journey opening up a kaleidoscopic vision of the future, shaping fictional worlds somewhat disturbing yet inspiring.
Photos: Michaël Huard
