Beginning on Friday, October 11, The Silva Gallery of Art at The Pennington School will host From North Africa to North America, an exhibition of work by Alia Bensliman; the show runs through December 13, 2024. A free public reception will be held on Thursday, October 17, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. with remarks at 7:00 p.m.  

Growing up in Tunisia in North Africa, Bensliman’s art reflects a fusion of East and West with a passion for North African, Islamic, and Amazigh art. Her drawings are full of symbols and meaning that illuminate milestones in her life and draw from both her past experiences and her everyday life. The intricate level of detail in each piece allows the viewer to discover additional details and make new interpretations each time they view a piece. In From North Africa to North America, Bensliman’s work mirrors her view of life and her sentiments about the current state of our world: socio-political issues, taboos, religious views, relationships, health concerns, and human rights. Using combinations of intricate lines, shapes, and repetitive patterns, Bensliman enhances her designs with color, ink, gold and silver paint, and handmade, environmentally friendly watercolors that she creates herself. Focused on sharing her art in academic settings, Bensliman’s recent exhibits include shows at the Lawrenceville School and the Princeton University Art Museum.

During the pandemic, Bensliman felt trapped and grew very nostalgic about her origins and her roots. She decided to create a series of Amazigh and North African women’s portraits with backgrounds of arabesque geometric patterns and Arabic calligraphy that echoed the architecture, colors, and landscape of her childhood and early adulthood in Tunisia. Creating this series, which is included in the show, made her feel closer to home, evoking happy sensations and memories from that time and place. 

The Silva Gallery is located on the School’s campus at 112 West Delaware Avenue in Pennington, New Jersey. For further information, please call the Silva Gallery at 609–737–4133 or email them at SilvaGallery@pennington.org.