Tunis Medina hosts Becoming the Ocean from 24 October
Published on 09/27/2026 at 15:16 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
An exhibition will open at Tunis Medina (Médina de Tunis) on 24 October 2026, bringing Becoming the Ocean to Caserne El Attarine in Tunis, Tunisia. The exhibition is the main presentation of the Biennale de l'Image en Mouvement within the eighth edition of Jaou Tunis.
Becoming the Ocean opens in Tunis Medina on 24 October
Becoming the Ocean runs from 24 October to 22 November 2026. The exhibition is presented at Caserne El Attarine, a nineteenth-century military barracks in the historic centre of Tunis, and forms part of Jaou Tunis, a month-long programme of exhibitions, performances, concerts, conversations and public events.
The exhibition brings together sixteen newly commissioned artists from Africa, the Arab world, Asia, Latin America and their diasporas. The artists named by the organisers include Tabarak Allah Abbas, Younes Ben Slimane, Mona Benyamin, Diane Severin Nguyen and Hajra Waheed with Sarah Zeryab. The project is organised by the Kamel Lazaar Foundation with the Centre d'Art Contemporain Geneve. The exhibition announcement and dates place the venue and period together.
Caserne El Attarine connects contemporary art with heritage
The barracks give the exhibition a specific setting within the old city. Its nineteenth-century military architecture places newly commissioned works inside a building that is itself part of the historic urban fabric, rather than in a separate modern gallery.
UNESCO describes the World Heritage property as one of the first Arabo-Muslim towns of the Maghreb, with origins in 698 AD. The listed area covers approximately 280 hectares and includes the central eighth-century medina, northern and southern thirteenth-century suburbs, souqs, gates, mosques, palaces, madrasas and about 700 historic monuments. The UNESCO description of the World Heritage site identifies El Attarine military barracks among its notable buildings.
That history changes how the October programme can be read by visitors. The exhibition does not simply occupy a named venue in Tunis; it places contemporary questions about memory, migration, ecology and political struggle within a protected historic ensemble whose buildings record centuries of social and cultural change.
Jaou Tunis brings a month of programmes to the capital
Jaou Tunis runs from 23 October to 22 November 2026 across venues in Tunis. The official biennale site describes Becoming the Ocean as the central exhibition and lists collateral exhibitions, performances, concerts, workshops, a symposium and city-wide encounters. The programme therefore extends beyond the Caserne El Attarine, while the exhibition remains the clearest fixed-date event at the Tunis Medina.
The project also marks the first presentation in Africa of the Biennale de l'Image en Mouvement, which leaves Geneva for Tunis. Its collaboration with the Centre d'Art Contemporain Geneve and the Kamel Lazaar Foundation links the historic site to an international contemporary art programme without changing the character of the surrounding medina.
Visiting Tunis Medina: what travellers from Western Europe should know
- Becoming the Ocean is scheduled at Caserne El Attarine from 24 October to 22 November 2026.
- The exhibition is part of Jaou Tunis and is presented inside a nineteenth-century military barracks in the Tunis Medina; the published announcement requests visitors to RSVP.
- The venue is in Tunis, within the UNESCO-listed historic centre. The surrounding site includes souqs, gates, palaces, mosques and narrow historic streets.
- Visitors encounter a large urban heritage area rather than an isolated monument. UNESCO records approximately 280 hectares and about 700 historic monuments within the property.
- Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.
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Frequently asked questions about Tunis Medina
When does Becoming the Ocean take place at Tunis Medina?
Becoming the Ocean runs from 24 October to 22 November 2026 at Caserne El Attarine.
What is Tunis Medina?
It is the historic centre of Tunis and a UNESCO World Heritage property containing about 700 historic monuments.
Where is Tunis Medina and how do you get there?
It is in Tunis, Tunisia, within the city centre and the wider UNESCO-listed historic urban area.
