From July 11th to October 26th, Menorca Experimental will host a captivating exhibition titled «Jardin d’Essai» featuring the visionary works of Adel Abdessemed, French artist of Berbber origin, curated by Nadja Romain and Hervé Mikaelo.
The title refers to a short piece of writing, an essay. The garden therefore presents a condensed vision of Abdessemed’s artistic gestures throughout his career to spark dialogue on themes such as memory, violence, resistance and poetry. Menorca Experimental’s rustic garden of stone walls and rugged greenery presents the perfect backdrop to contemplate the artist’s creations. Inside the main building you can discover a series of drawings and limited editions by the artist.
Adel Abdessemed, born in 1971 in Constantine, Algeria, stands as a prominent figure in contemporary art, known for his fearless exploration of societal issues and cultural identity. Growing up amidst the harsh landscapes of the Aurès mountains at a time of violent civil unrest, Abdessemed’s early experiences profoundly shaped his artistic vision. He therefore describes his art as “that of the witness.”
Abdessemed began his formal art education at the École régionale des beaux-arts de Batna. After navigating further political turmoil in Algeria, the artist considers his relocation to France in 1994 as a second birth. ere, at the École nationale des Beaux-Arts de Lyon, he expanded his artistic repertoire, experimenting with video art and challenging traditional mediums. Abdessemed’s works have been showcased worldwide, including major exhibitions at institutions like MoMA P.S.1 in New York, the Centre Pompidou in Paris or the Rockbund Art Museum in Shanghai. In April 2024, he created the set up, decors, video and costumes of the major opera Saint François d’Assise by Olivier Messiaen at the Grand eatre de Geneve.
Abdessemed’s oeuvre has been called polymorphous and ungraspable, and yet certain fundamental themes migrate across materials and techniques: violence, animality, the intertwining of life and death. e scream is what remains when everything has been said and done. “For me, a work that counts is a cry of solitude,” according to the artist.
Says writer Daniel Birnbaum in a recent essay on Abdessemed’s drawings: Adel bites, but he does not eat. His appetite is of a different order. Yes, he bites. His teeth are particularly sharp. They cut right through. But the bones and the scull cannot be metabolized, they endure and survive us all. As do the sculptures and the drawings, the very skeleton of his art.
ABOUT NADJA ROMAIN
Nadja Romain is the founder of Venice-based Lo Studio – Nadja Romain, an innovative interdisciplinary platform which acts as a gallery, agency and workshop, encouraging collaborations between artists, designers, architects and artisans. She is also the founder of the online platform Everything I Want, a boutique specialising in limited editions by artists and artisans in collaboration.
After graduated from Ecole du Louvre and La Sorbonne in Paris. She worked as a journalist for Conde Nast publications was the director of Love Streams Production agnesb. Nadja’s commitment to creating positive change sparked the launch of Art Action Change, a charity dedicated to social progress and education through the arts. After years in London she moved to Venice in 2020. Nadja currently presents an art program in collaboration with the Experimental Group.
ABOUT HERVE MIKAELOFF
Independent Art Consultant and Curator, Hervé Mikaeloff currently advises and curates for the LVMH group as well as the Louis Vuitton Foundation. Over the years, he has also supported Sanofi, the Bic Group, various private banks and important private art collectors as their advisor. The native Frenchman graduated from l’Ecole du Louvre in Paris in 1991, after which he went on to work at La Fondation Cartier for Contemporary Art, followed by the renowned gallery Emmanuel Perrotin. He first worked as a curator at the Caisse des depots Art Collection in 1995, where he was in charge of the collection and exhibition program for shows in France, Portugal, USA, Brazil and Japan and Hong Kong.
Enquiry: nadja@nadjaromain.com
Menorca Experimental