Zineb Sedira

Born in 1963 in Paris (France), ZINEB SEDIRA lives in London (United Kingdom) and works between Algiers (Algeria), Paris and London. Over the fifteen years of her practice, Sedira has enriched the debate around the concepts of modernism, modernity and its manifestations in an inclusive way. She has also raised awareness of artistic expression and the contemporary experience in North Africa. She found inspiration initially in researching her identity as a woman with a singular personal geography. From these autobiographical concerns she gradually shifted her interest to more universal ideas of mobility, memory and transmission. Kamel Mennour and Zineb Sedira have been working together since 2002.

Zineb Sedira’s work was shown in several solo exhibitions at the Bildmuseet (Umeå, Sweden, 2021), the SMoCA (Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art) (US, 2021), the Jeu de Paume (Paris, 2019), the IVAM‑Institut Valencià d’Art Modern (Spain, 2019), the Beirut Art Center (Lebanon, 2018), the Sharjah Art Foundation Art Spaces (UAE, 2018), the Art On the Underground (London, 2016), the Blaffer Art Museum (Houston, 2013), the Charles H. Scott Gallery (Vancouver, 2013), the Prefix‑Institute of Contemporary Art (Toronto, 2010), the [mac] musée d’Art contemporain of Marseille (2010), the Palais de Tokyo (Paris, 2010), the Kunsthalle Nikolaj (Copenhagen, 2010), the BildMuseets (Sweden, 2010), the Pori Art Museum (Finland, 2009), the New Art Exchange (Nottingham, 2009), the Wapping Project (London, 2008) and at the Photographer’s Gallery (London, 2006).

Her work will soon be exhibited at Dallas Contemporary (US, 2022), at the De La Warr Pavilion (Bexhill on Sea, UK, 2022-2023) and at the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum (Lisbon, 2024).

Her work was also shown in many group shows in institutions such as Tate Britain (London, 2002, 2012, 2013), Centre Pompidou (Paris, 2004, 2009), Mori Museum (Tokyo, 2005), Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art (Gateshead, 2005), Musée d’Art Moderne of Alger (2007), Brooklyn Museum (New York, 2007), Mathaf - Arab Museum of Modern Art (Qatar, 2010), the Contemporary Art Center (Thessaloniki, 2011), Tate Britain, London, UK, Marseille, Gwangju Museum of Art, South Korea, Centre Pompidou-Metz, France (2013), Friche de la Belle de Mai (2013), MMK Museum für Mordern Kunst, Germany (2014), FRAC Lorraine, Metz, France, Power Plant, Contemporary Art Gallery, Toronto, Canada (2015), Studio Museum in Harlem, New York, USA (2016), MuCEM (2013 and 2016), MAC/VAL, Vitry-sur-Seine, France (2017), Tate Modern, London, (2017), Birmingham Museums, Royaume-Uni, (2018) as well as in biennials and triennials, including the Venice Biennale (2001 and 2011), the Triennial for photography and video at the Institute of Contemporary Photography in New York (2003), the Sharjah Biennale (2003 and 2007), the Folkestone Triennial (2011), New Orleans’ international art exhibition (2017) and the Liverpool Biennial (2021).

Sedira is the founder of aria (artist residency in algiers), a residency program to support the development of the contemporary art scene in Algeria through international cross-cultural exchanges and collaborations.

Zineb Sedira represents France at the 59th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia in 2022. A special mention was awarded to her exhibition in the French Pavilion titled “Dreams Have No Titles”.