Katia Kameli's solo exhibition, And the shadow will disappear into the sun, offers a poetic and sensory immersion into the universe of the Sufi poem The Conference of the Birds. Through installations, films, and ceramics, the artist engages the viewer in an initiatory quest, where cultures and imaginations intertwine.
Katia Kameli, a French-Algerian artist born in 1973 in Clermont-Ferrand, considers herself a "translator" of forms and meanings between cultures.
A graduate of the École Nationale des Beaux-Arts de Bourges and the Collège-Invisible in Marseille, her work is based on in-depth research into historical and cultural facts. This approach perfectly aligns with the spiritual exploration project she presents here, inspired by the famous Persian poem written in 1177 by Farid Al-Din Attar, which narrates the initiatory journey of birds guided by a hoopoe, in search of the Supreme Being, the Simorgh, a symbol of truth and unity.
An exhibition symbolizing hospitality and sharing
In this exhibition, each work becomes a chapter of a timeless story. The installations evoke khaïmas, those desert tents, symbolizing hospitality and sharing. This formal choice invites the visitor to enter a space where word and image intertwine, creating an immersive experience. The watercolors by Katia Kameli punctuating the journey form a gallery of portraits of the protagonists of the tale: nightingale, partridge, peacock, falcon, and heron, are associated with characters that represent the dilemmas and aspirations of the spiritual quest. These vibrant works reflect the doubts and impulses of the characters while illustrating the richness of the narratives that nourish the artist's plastic work.
Another striking element of the exhibition is the presence of ceramic birds, true sound sculptures. In a fruitful paradox, their apparent silence evokes the musical aspect of Attar's work and reminds us of the inner transformations that each initiatory journey entails. Through these forms, the artist questions memory, culture, and identity, while offering a space for reflection on our relationship with others and ourselves.
At the heart of the exhibition, the film The Conference of the Birds, variations, made in the beautiful domain of Rayol, garden of the Mediterranean, offers an immersive cinematic experience. Combining narratives, choreographies, and mental landscapes, this film explores the passage of time and trials, while revealing the depth of the narrated stories. Through this medium, Kameli invites us to reinterpret the tale, where each image becomes a metaphor for our existence.
This film was shown last year in Paris, at the 110 gallery Véronique Rieffel as part of the solo exhibition The Songs of the Earth. The same year, Katia Kameli was the first artist invited by the Centre Pompidou to create a work from the Pierre Bourdieu photographic collection, just after its acquisition. This commission titled The Bourdieu Inquiry, the ricochet of images, was in line with her Algerian Novel (notably presented at FRAC PACA in Marseille in 2021), conceived as a film in three chapters that sensitively illuminates the complex relationships of a nation to its history and the role of images in the construction of its national narrative and archetypes.
Light as true revelation
Thus, Katia Kameli's approach questions collective memory, historical representations, and the issues of post-coloniality. Her work, far from being merely illustrative, becomes a space for exchange and otherness, where silences and gaps pave the way for a new understanding of the world.
In this new exhibition, light is not just a backdrop, but a true revelation, transforming shadow into possibility, and allowing each work to become a passage to another place, a living dialogue between different temporalities and geographies.
Katia Kameli has presented her art in numerous international galleries and festivals, including the Bamako Photography Encounters, the Dakar Biennale, and most recently in Gherdeïa, Italy, or at the Nouveau Musée national de Monaco.
The exhibition is taking place this time at the Contemporary Art Center of Châteauvert, a place that aims to be a crossroads between art, landscape, and memory. This natural and poetic setting is perfectly aligned with the artist's approach, which establishes connections between the stories that inhabit us. More than just an exhibition, And the shadow will disappear into the sun is an invitation to introspection, discovery, and encounter.
Katia Kameli encourages us to explore the narratives that shape our identities and to open ourselves to the beauty of cultural diversity. By crossing the threshold of this exhibition, the visitor is invited to an experience where art becomes a mirror of our shared humanity.
Don't miss this opportunity to immerse yourself in a universe where every shadow is a promise of light!
From July 6 to November 30, 2025 at the Contemporary Art Center of Châteauvert
Cover photo: The Great Hoopoe, 2022, sound sculpture in ceramic © DR
Founder of the Institute of Cultures of Islam in Paris, Véronique Rieffel also directed the French Institute of Alexandria before dedicating herself to curating exhibitions and artistic projects between Europe, the Middle East, and the African continent. She is the author of the essay Islamania (Beaux Arts Éditions) which revisits the history of art from a non-Western-centric perspective.