JACC — Journées d’Art Contemporain de Carthage 2023

JACC — Journées d’Art Contemporain de Carthage 2023

Art as a Path, A Bridge, A Public Voice

By Fatma Koraichi

In 2023, the Journées d’Art Contemporain de Carthage (JACC) reaffirmed their place as one of Tunisia’s most important contemporary art events. Organized under the auspices of the Ministère des Affaires culturelles, this biennial unfolds in the heart of Tunis at the iconic Cité de la Culture — a major public cultural space dedicated to artistic creation and dialogue.

Held in a post-Covid context, this edition carried a particular energy. After years of global pause and uncertainty, JACC became a platform for reconnection — between artists and audiences, between Tunisia and the international art scene, between local narratives and global perspectives.

A Biennial Rooted in Public Space

JACC is not just an exhibition — it is a biennial of ideas, experimentation, and exchange. Its public dimension is essential. Located within the Cité de la Culture, the event is accessible, open, and embedded in civic life. It reflects a fundamental belief: art belongs to everyone.

The 2023 edition echoed the powerful motto:

“L’ART, UN CHEMIN — THE ART IS A PATH — EL ARTE, UN CAMINO.”

Art as a path forward.
Art as a bridge across cultures.
Art as a shared language beyond borders.

My Role: Director of Foreign Galleries & International Pavilion

For this edition, I had the honor of serving as Director of All Foreign Galleries and the International Pavilion.

My mission was to curate and coordinate the participation of international galleries, fostering dialogue between Tunisian artists and global counterparts. This role required not only curatorial vision but diplomatic sensitivity — ensuring that diverse artistic practices could coexist while maintaining coherence within the biennial’s conceptual framework.

The International Pavilion became a dynamic space of exchange. It reflected:

  • Cross-cultural conversations

  • Emerging and established voices

  • Different aesthetic languages united by contemporary urgency

In a world still recalibrating after the pandemic, this international presence carried symbolic weight. It signaled that Tunisia remains an active participant in global artistic discourse.

Post-Covid Renewal & Cultural Responsibility

Since the Covid period, cultural institutions worldwide have faced profound challenges. JACC’s continuation during and after this time demonstrates resilience. The event did not merely resume; it evolved.

The 2023 edition highlighted:

  • Digital experimentation

  • Hybrid formats

  • Renewed attention to public engagement

  • Stronger international collaboration

As part of a national initiative under the Ministry of Culture, JACC embodies Tunisia’s commitment to sustaining contemporary creation despite global instability.

A Collective Momentum

What makes JACC unique is its scale and diversity. Artists, curators, galleries, institutions, students, collectors, and the wider public converge within a shared temporal framework. For several days, Tunis becomes a meeting point — a contemporary Carthage of ideas.

The International Pavilion, in particular, demonstrated how art transcends geography. It showed that while aesthetics differ, the core concerns — identity, transformation, memory, technology, ecology, migration — resonate universally.

Looking Forward

Being part of JACC 2023 in a leadership capacity was both an honor and a responsibility. It reaffirmed my belief that art fairs and biennials are not only markets or exhibitions — they are ecosystems.

They nurture dialogue.
They strengthen cultural diplomacy.
They create long-term networks.

Most importantly, they remind us that art is indeed a path — one that guides us through uncertainty toward imagination, understanding, and shared humanity.

And in Tunis, at the Cité de la Culture, that path continues to unfold.

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