Najah Zarbout

Born in 1979 in Ben Guerdane, Tunisia, Najah Zarbout lives and works in Sousse. After studying at the Higher Institute of Arts and Crafts in Sfax, she was accepted at the University of Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne, where she earned a doctorate in Arts and Sciences of Art. She is currently an assistant professor at the Higher Institute of Fine Arts in Sousse.

Najah Zarbout is interested in subjects related to current events, the individual and contemporary society. Her artistic creations explore relationships with others in their various aspects. She offers a metaphor for human submission or disobedience and invites the viewer on an imaginary journey through the materiality of paper. Behind her seemingly playful works lie profound and daring subjects. Her practice ranges from drawing to video, photography and installation. In recent years, she has focused on cut-out techniques. Through embossing, folding and tearing, and combinations of light, lines and cuts, she engages in a dialogue with paper.

In 2018, Najah Zarbout represented Tunisia at the Dakar Biennale in Senegal. In addition to numerous solo and group exhibitions, her work has been featured at fairs and salons in Tunisia, France, Switzerland, Belgium, Morocco and Kuwait, among other places. She received the Grand Prix in Plastic Arts at the ‘Ici et demain’ festival in France in 2008.