Sharjah Art Foundation

Sharjah Biennial 16

Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
6 Febuary — 15 June 2025

Libya, Radouan Mriziga. Photo: © PolGuillard

Libya by Radouan Mriziga

Overview

The word ‘Libya’ first appeared on the walls of Pharaonic temples, identifying the Amazigh lands and people, who have been repeatedly invaded and colonised over millennia.

Even though colonial powers have written the ‘official’ version of Amazigh history, the people have persistently transmitted their language and rich historical heritage through oral tales, poetry, storytelling, songs, dances and skilled crafts.

In Libya, Radouan Mriziga collaborates with dancers to elaborate on transgenerational shared histories and epistemologies from an Amazigh perspective, where the memories of the body play a pivotal role. North African music, dance, landscapes and cave paintings depicting prehistoric dance moves are among the interconnected elements that inform a complex choreographic adventure. Layers of meaning are uncovered before us, drawing the features of an imagined, shared future from an Amazigh point of view.