A dreamy Tom Thumb, Nadia Zouari scatters the elements of a shattered universe to the winds. Of the initial coherence, only scattered elements remain, and the memory of a lost unity. Following the thread of this disoriented Ariadne, restoring the whole to the multiplied parts, harmonizing the shattered chaos is a slow and patient undertaking. It plays out on different scores, evolves in non-linear timescales, and obeys sometimes opposing logics.
The primary element, the starting point of the quest, the initial point is the same and yet different. Pieces of a diabolical puzzle, they multiply, interlock, overlap, become by turns giant or Lilliputian, blend into the background or stand out in three dimensions, play on monochrome or adorn themselves with gold and silver, become rare or prolific. The space bends to their whimsy, generous in large open canvases, rigorous in small, concentrated formats. Nadia Zouari, whose delicate work was well-known, and whose painting had evolved towards a gradual and poetic erasure of forms and figures, this time takes matters into her own hands. For her playful puzzles, she offers supports of mortar, marble powder, sand, and plaster, not hesitating to mix the material, experimenting with bold and improbable mixtures until she finds the right consistency, the right relief, the ideal presentation. The approximately 4,000 puzzle pieces she has manipulated seem to have a life of their own: some have opted for the austerity of black and white and a severe graphic style. Others explode with color against immaculate white backgrounds. Still others are discreet, giving way to the memory of characters emerging from the limbo of an artist's memory.
Alya Hamza (Journalist & Art Critic)
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