Biography

Mouna Karray

Born in 1970 in Sfax, Tunisia, Karray studied art and culture in Tunis before moving to Tokyo to complete an MA specialising in photography. Currently living and working between Paris and Sfax. 

2001    Master’s Degree in Image Media, Tokyo Polytechnic University, Graduate School of Arts, Tokyo, Japan

SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2023    The Patterns of Ferdouss, La Boîte_un lieu d’art contemporain, Tunis, Tunisia
2017-2019    OFF-THE-AIR, Zeitz MOCAA Museum, Cape Town, South Africa
2016     Nobody Will Talk About Us, Tyburn Gallery, London, UK
2011     Murmurer, El Marsa Gallery, El Marsa, Tunisia

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2020-2022
— Two Together, November 2019- January 2022, Zeitz MOCAA Museum Cape Town, South Africa
2021
— Corpus – Recent acquisitions from the Centre National des Arts Plastiques, Paris Photo, Paris
— Battements, Im-possibility project, online exhbition and happening in artist studio, Paris
2019
— The 12th African Encounters of Photography, Bamako, Mali
— The World Inspired By Citroën, a carte blanche, La Monnaie De Paris, France
2018
— Africa Is No Island:
– November 2018 – February 2019, Zinsou Foundation Cotonou, Benin
– February – August 2018, MACCAL Museum, Marrakech, Morroco
— Un Air de Famille, parce que les fantômes disparaissent au lever du jour, H2M Art Centre, Bourg en Bresse, France
— Kerkennah#01, The first edition of International Photography Festival, Kerkennah, Tunisia
2017
— Biennale Des Photographes Du Monde Arabe, Institut Du Monde Arabe, Paris, France
— Afriques Capitale, Le mois de la photo du Grand Paris, Parc de la Villette, Paris
2016
— Dak’Art 2016: The 12th Biennale of Contemporary African Art, Dakar, Senegal
2015
— The Divine Comedy: Heaven, Hell, Purgatory from the Perspective of Contemporary African Artists, Smithsonian National Museum of African Art, Washington DC, USA
— Broken English, Tyburn Gallery, London, UK
— Visible Invisible, Fondation Blachère, Apt, France
2014
— The Divine Comedy, SCAD Museum of Art, Savannah, USA
— The Divine Comedy, MMK Museum für Moderne Kunst, Frankfurt, Germany
— Africa Big Change Big Chance, Triennale di Milano, Milano, Italy
— The Sea is my Land, Triennale di Milano, Milano, Italy
2013
— The Sea is my Land, MAXXI, Rome, Italy
— Ici, ailleurs, Friche la Belle de Mai, Tour-Panorama, Marseille, France
— Bright Future Contemporary Art from Tunisia, Ifa Gallery Stuttgart, Germany
2012
— Bright Futur Contemporary Art from Tunisia, Ifa Gallery Berlin, Germany
— Dream City, 3rd edition, Sfax, Tunis, Tunisia
— The Bamako Encounters, BOZAR, Brussels, Belgium
— Dégagement… La Tunisie un an après, Institut du Monde Arabe, Paris, France
— #Cometogether, Edge of Arabia, London, UK
2011
— The 9th African Encounters of Photography, Bamako, Mali
2010
— A Useful Dream, BOZAR, Brussels, Belgium
— Picha, Image Encounters, Lubumbashi, Congo
2009
— Photoquai, Quai Branly Museum, Paris, France
2008
— Spot on Bamako 2007, Ifa Gallery Berlin, Germany
— Thirtieth Biennial of Art of Pontevedra, Pontevedra, Spain
— Regards des photographes arabes contemporains, MAMA Museum, Algiers, Algeria
2007
— The 7th African Encounters of Photography, Bamako, Mali

COLLECTIONS

Collection CNAP, Fonds national d’art contemporain, France
Zeit MOCCA Museum, Cape Town, South Africa
Nadour Foundation, private collection
Sindika Dokolo Foundation, private collection
Ministry of Tunisian Culture collection

ARTIST RESIDENCIES

2019     Villa Saint-Louis Ndar, French Institute, Saint-Louis, Senegal
2017     Matza, Kerkennah, Tunisia
              Daïmôn Center, Gatineau, Quebec, Canada
2012     Dream City, 3rd edition, Sfax, Tunis, Tunisia
2008     Je pense à toi, Siwa 02, Théâtre de l’Odéon, Paris, France
2007     Civitella Ranieri Foundation, Umbertide, Italy
2005     Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris, France
2004     Centre d’Art Vivant de Radès, Rades, Tunisia

SOLO PUBLICATIONS

2017     Mouna Karray, Angle 19. Nobody Will Talk About Us, Multipress Forlag, Norway 2017.
2016     Nobody Will Talk About Us, published on the occasion of the solo exhibition, Tyburn Gallery, London, April 2016.
2011     Murmurer, published on the occasion of the solo exhibition, El Marsa gallery, Tunis, January 2011.

PUBLICATIONS (selection)

2021
— Art and the Arab Spring: Aesthetics of Revolution and Resistance in Tunisia and Beyond. Siobhán Shilton, Cambridge University Press, 2021, pp. 101-104, 112-114, 188-191.
— African Artists: From 1882 to Now. Introduction by Chika Okeke-Agulu and glossary by Joseph L Underwood, Phaidon Editors, 2021, p. 161.
— Oh! Afric’Art. Text: Elizabeth Tchoungu, Editions du Chêne, Paris, 2021, pp. 200-203.
2019
— Streams of Consciousness.  Bonaventure Soh Bejeng, with Aziza Harmel, Astris Sokana Lepoultier, Kwasi Ohene-Ayeh, Archive Books, Editions Balani’s, Italy/Senegal, 2019, pp. 52-53.
— Artistes De Tunisie. Elsa Despiney, Ridha Moumni, Cérès Editions, Kamel Lazaar Foundation, Tunis, 2019, pp. 282-283.
— The world inspired by Citroën, IDEAT Contemporary life Magazine. A Collector magazine on the occasion of the centenary of Citroën, Ideat Edition, Paris, 2019, pp. 44-63. →PDF
2018
— Africa Is No Island. Musée d’Art Contemporain Africain Al Maaden, Édition MACAAL, Madeleine De Colnet, pp. 94-97.
2017
— Lumières Africaines : L’élan Contemporain. André Magnin, Mehdi Qotbi, Langages du sud, Casablanca, Morroco, pp. 110-111.
— Afriques Capitales. Simon Njami, Keher Verlag Heidelberg, Berlin, pp. 46-47.
— Deuxième Biennale des photographes du monde arabe. Silvana Editorial, Milano, pp. 60-61.
2016
— Dak’art 12. Réenchantements. La Cité dans le jour bleu. Kerber editions, pp.172-175..
2014
— The Divine Comedy: Heaven, Purgatory and Hell Revisited by Contemporary African Artists. Simon Njami, Zdenka Badovinac, Johannes Hoff, Roberto Casati, Kerber Verlag, Bielefeld, Germany, 2014, 294-297.
2013
— The Sea Is My Land, Artisti dal Mediterraneo. Ed. Feltrinelli, Italy, 2013, pp. 133-139.
2012
— Un avenir en Rose, Contemporary Art from Tunisia. Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen, Kerber, Berlin.
2011
— L’Art au Féminin : approches contemporaines. Ed. L’Harmattan.
— For a Sustainable World: Rencontres de Bamako. African Photography Biennial, 9th Edition, Actes Sud, Arles, France, 2011, pp. 142-145.
— New Vision: Arab Contemporary Art in the 21st Century. Hossein Amirsadeghi, Salwa Mikdadi, TransGlobe Publishing, London, pp. 186-289.
2010
— A Useful Dream: African Photography 1960-2010. Simon Njami, Frank Vanhaecke, Silvana Editoriale, Milan, Italy.
2009
— Photoquai 2009. Deuxième Biennale des images du monde. Anahita Ghabaian Etehadieh, Acte Sud /Musée du quai Branly, Arles, France, 2009.
2008
— Regards des Photographes Arabes Contemporains. Ed. Musée National d’art Moderne et Contemporain d’Alger.
2007
— Dans la ville et Au-delà. The 7th African Photography Biennale, Editions Marval, Paris.

BIBLIOGRAPHY & PRESS (selection)

2021
— Mouna Karray, Oh! AfricArt. A short program dedicated to contemporary creation from the African continent. Each program presents 1 artist, 1 work, 1 country. Produced by Sonia Perrin, One Step Beyond, and D18. Broadcast on FRANCE 2, TV5 MONDE and on Lumni FR.
http://www.lumni.fr/video/mouna-karray-personne-ne-parlera-de-nous
2020
— Art at a Time Like This, Mouna Karray. Online platform founded by Barbara Pollack and Anne Verhallen.
https://artatatimelikethis.com/mouna-karray
2019
— Harbaoui, Zouhour, interview. Mouna Karray sélectionnée pour les rencontres de Bamako. Le Temps, November 22, 2019.
— Marian Nur Goni, Aware Women Artists, Mouna Karray.
https://awarewomenartists.com/en/artiste/mouna-karray/
2018
— Diallo, Kadiatou, Mouna Karray ON Origins. A video available on Artist On Africa: a podcast about Africa from an artist’s perspective.            http://www.artistsonafrica.net/pod…/mouna-karray-on-origins/
— WAHED magazine, Portfolio, Personne Ne Parlera De Nous. Issue 8, September 2018, pp. 50-59.
2017
— Salmeron, François, Les Nouveaux élans de la photographie arabe. Art Absolument N° 79, September-October 2017, pp. 82-87.
— Mahdaoui, Anissa, La photographe tunisienne Mouna Karray au centre de l’actualité artistique africaine. Interview en ligne, HuffPost Tunisie, September 9, 2017.
— Alexandra, Galitzine Loumpet, Sujet, objet, résistance. Interview A. Magazine, 2017, p.10.
2016
— Seymour, Tom, Mouna Karray’s Exploration of Tunisia’s Neglected People. British Journal Of Photography, online, April 25, 2016.            https://www.1854.photography/2016/04/mouna-karray-nobody-will-talk-about-us/
— Mercier, Jeanne, dossier, L’Afrique Révélée par Elle-Même, Fisheye Magazine: November-December, 2016.
— Bowcock, Simon, Performing for the Camera. Harpers Bazar Arabia: Issue Summer 2016, pp. 46-47.
— Azimi, Roxana, Dak’art 2016: Du chaos surgit une très belle exposition internationale. Journal le Monde, May 4, 2016. →PDF
— Harbaoui, Zouhour, interview, Tout le monde pourrait parler d’elle. Tunis Hebdo, 2-8 May, 2016.
— Van Der Watt, Liese, How to make silence speak: the quiet insistence of Mouna Karray’s photographs. Catalogue, “Nobody Will talk about us”, Tyburn gallery, March 2016.
— Morgan, Hayley, A Single Body, Suppressed. Museum: Issue 4, March 2016, pp. 98-99.
— Karray, Mouna, Nobody Will Talk About Us. Snapped, Art Africa magazine, March 2016, pp.134-139.
— Karray, Mouna, Nobody Will Talk About Us. Wall Street International, March 15, 2016.
2015
— Keyte, Matthew, 10 North African Contemporary Artists You Need To Know. Theculturetrip.com, November 13, 2015.
— Nyfeler, Morgane, From London To Africa: Tyburn Gallery’s Inaugural Exhibition Broken English. Ours-mag.com, September 16, 2015.
— O’Toole, Sean, Becoming African: Sean O’Toole on the All-New ART AFRICA. Artsouthafrica.com, September 17, 2015.
— Paw, David, ‘Broken English’: London’s Tyburn Gallery holds show of contemporary African art. Wallpaper.com, September 25, 2015.
2014
— Carol, Magee, There Is a There There: Place in African Cityscape. Photography and Culture Vol. 7, N. 1, March 2014, pp. 41-62.
— Diop, Salimata, Mouna Karray: The Rope. IAM Intense Art Magazine #01, automne/hiver 2014.
— Mercier, Jeanne, portfolio on line, Mouna Karray, Noir. L’œil De La Photographie, June 5, 2014.
2013
— Cohen Hadria, Michèle, Trois artistes tunisiennes : Nicène Kossentini, Mouna Karray et Moufida Fedhila. Publication KT Press, 2013, c. 77 pp., 40 illus.
— Malivel, Garance, Ici, ailleurs. Trajectoires méditerranéennes. Art absolument, mars-avril 2013, pp. 60-63.
— Marsaud, Olivia, Cahier critique – Valeurs sûres à Marseille. Afrique in Visu, February, 2013.
2011
— Marian Nur Goni, interview, Dans les interstices, la photographie de Mouna Karray. Africultures, January 2011.
2010
— Akinbiyi, Akinbode, dossier, An Inside View. OjodePez #23, December 2010, pp. 88-95.
— Bruckbauer, Christine, Murmurer or the Whispering of Neglected Walls. Online, Universes in universe, April 2010.
https://universes.art/en/tags/mouna-karray
2009
— Mekouar, Mouna, Murmurer, Portrait d’une architecture défunte. Catalogue, Murmurer, El Marsa Gallery, October 2009.
2007
— Mercier, Jeanne, interview, L’identité en question, photographies de Mouna Karray. Afrique in visu, June 25, 2007.