Drawing is at the core of Massinissa Selmani’s creations. Here, he treats the exhibition as one giant drawing, sweeping the viewer up in a series of light-hearted and fascinating drawings, animations, and installations. Selmani shifts between mediums in a search for the expression of space and potential in drawing.

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Though the forms are simple, Selmani’s works are always touching on key historical, cultural, and social topics. The intentional blank spaces and unfinished lines in the works, like the detached backgrounds, are important components of the works. When making preparatory sketches, the artist often begins with press photographs taken from newspapers, extracting the elements of truth and removing background information to intentionally produce a sense of “something missing,” inviting the viewer to draw from their own memory associations and visual references to interpret for themselves. His artworks do not engage in direct criticism, but use humor and satire to reexamine memories that have been overlooked or marginalized in the process of historical transitions.

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This exhibition is organized by Assistant Curator Gao Liangjiao and Associate Curator Wu Yiyang at the Aranya Art Center.

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