Drawing inspiration from traditional weaving techniques, oral storytelling, and contemporary modes of production, Tiɣrist - The Threads of Exile invites reflection on textile as a language of resistance and a vessel of memory - a sensitive archive. This narrative is rooted in the migration of the artist’s family from Bouira, Algeria - a region known for its textile craftsmanship and pottery, where manual labor was accompanied by collective songs and poetry — to Roubaix, France, the former industrial capital of textiles. This displacement profoundly transformed their relationship to work, to others, and to belonging. It is part of a broader history: that of the rural exodus driven by the promise of urban life, where the pursuit of emancipation often intertwines with experiences of loss and uprooting. A symbolic resonance emerges as well, since Roubaix is an anagram of Bouira, differing by only one letter.
Samia Dzaïr
AR