Sacred and cursed: Exhibition at the Iwalewa House

She is only in her early 20s, but Tewa Barnosa has already seen more than many of her contempoaries. Born in the Nafusa Mountains in Libya, she grew up in the capital Tripoli. Haunted by the war in her homeland, she founded WaraQ Art Foundation at just 17, an independent non-profit organisation dedicated to supporting the contemporary Libyan art scene both locally and in the diaspora.

The young artist now lives in Berlin. In her artworks, she deals with definitions of identity and belonging, the uncertain future of languages, and collective memory in the social and political context of Libya and North Africa. Her artistic oeuvre includes paper-based works, installations and collages, as well as digital media for moving images and sound art.

Tewa Barnosa has gathered up much from her homeland for her works. For example, the graffiti and inscriptions in Tripoli, marked by war and violence. Her motto is: "A war that is not documented artistically has either been forgotten or denied."

During her residency at the Iwalewa House, Barnosa continued to develop her art. The exhibition "Sacred and Cursed" now presents the works that were created here.

On 21 October, Tewa Barnosa was awarded the Iwalewa Art Award. The Iwalewa Art Award is a cooperation between the International Office, Freundeskreis Iwalewahaus e.V., the Institute for African Studies, and the Iwalewahaus. It is awarded to emerging African artists and supports the young African art scene.

The exhibition at the Iwalewahaus will run until 16 January 2021.