TAREK LAKHRISSI – BLISS
10.2. – 20.5.24

Opening: Friday, 9 February 2024

In his solo exhibition BLISS, Tarek Lakhrissi invites the audience on a journey: in a stage-like setting, visitors become protagonists in search of dreamy moments in the midst of chaos. Over the course of three acts, they encounter immersive installations, an enchanting film work and larger-than-life sculptures.

The French poet and artist has a particular interest in conversations about race, class and gender. His captivating poems and installations, borrow their aesthetics from a dazzling and vibrant pop culture, aiming to transform traditional narratives. Lakhrissi often uses autofiction – the interfusion of a biographical report with fictional elements – as a tool. Therefore he simultaneously offers his audiences opportunities for identification and tells an imagined story through a myriad of layers.

BLISS takes the reflective state of mind of melancholy as a starting point to explore themes such as self-discovery, one’s own desire and the social exclusion of marginalized groups. Lakhrissi’s queer and BIPoC first-person perspective is transferable to the daily experience of minorities within a society that is dominated by a white, cisgender and heterosexual majority. An auto-fictional journey of self-discovery reveals itself and expresses the intricate interplay between light and darkness, bliss and melancholy.

Curator: Dr. Michael Birchall

Curatorial Assistant: Louisa Behr