NAJAH ZARBOUT

Najah Zarbout is originally from Kerkennah (Tunisia). After studying at the Higher Institute of Arts and Crafts in Sfax, she was admitted to the University of Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne, where she obtained a PhD in Arts and Art Sciences. She is currently an Assistant Professor at the Higher Institute of Fine Arts in Sousse.

Zarbout is interested in topics related to current events, the individual, and contemporary society. Her artistic works deal with the relationship to the Other in its different aspects. She thus proposes a metaphor of the human being in submission or disobedience and invites the viewer to an imaginary journey through the material of paper. Behind her seemingly playful works lie deep and daring subjects.

Her artistic practice takes diverse forms, ranging from drawing to video, photography, and installation. In recent years, she has developed an approach focused on cutting. From embossing to folding or laceration, in various combinations blending light, lines, and slits, she creates a dialogue with paper.

In 2018, Najah Zarbout represented Tunisia at the Dakar Biennale (Senegal). In addition to a significant number of solo and group shows, her work has been presented in several fairs and salons in Tunisia and abroad (France, Switzerland, Belgium, Morocco, Kuwait, etc.). She is the winner of the Grand Prize for Visual Arts at the “Ici et demain” festival in 2008 (France). Her works are part of the collection of the Tunisian State as well as several private collections in Tunisia and abroad.





︎ najahzarbout.com