Abdelkader Benchamma
The artist
Born in 1975 in Mazamet (France), Abdelkader Benchamma lives and works in Paris and Montpellier.
A graduate of the Beaux-Arts de Montpellier and the École des Beaux-Arts de Paris, his preferred medium is drawing.
Nourished by literature, philosophy and astrophysics, his drawn installations continually challenge exhibition spaces, becoming, in his words, “spaces of resonance”, conducive to the summoning of memories, both individual and collective, geological and spiritual.
His vast ephemeral frescoes are painted directly onto walls with ink, transforming architecture into an otherworld, a world of flux and mental landscapes, between the recognizable and the indiscernible, on the border between the physical and the symbolic. Reflecting on the workings of perception, his works explore our systems of knowledge, the survival of myths and beliefs, but also reminiscences, retinal or neuronal persistence, whether on museum walls or sheets of paper.
A graduate of the Beaux-Arts de Montpellier and the École des Beaux-Arts de Paris, his preferred medium is drawing.
Nourished by literature, philosophy and astrophysics, his drawn installations continually challenge exhibition spaces, becoming, in his words, “spaces of resonance”, conducive to the summoning of memories, both individual and collective, geological and spiritual.
His vast ephemeral frescoes are painted directly onto walls with ink, transforming architecture into an otherworld, a world of flux and mental landscapes, between the recognizable and the indiscernible, on the border between the physical and the symbolic. Reflecting on the workings of perception, his works explore our systems of knowledge, the survival of myths and beliefs, but also reminiscences, retinal or neuronal persistence, whether on museum walls or sheets of paper.
Exhibitions
-
Cosmography
June 27 - August 1, 2024
New York -
Cosma
January 7 - March 18, 2023
Paris - Beaubourg -
Signes
September 3 - October 24, 2020
Brussels -
From the Paper to the Wall
June 6 - July 26, 2019
Brussels -
Engramme
March 16 - May 19, 2019
Paris - Beaubourg
Biography
| Birth | Born in 1975 in Mazamet, France |
|---|---|
| Residence | Lives and works in Montpellier and Paris, France |
| Education | 2003 - École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts, Paris, France 2000 - École Supérieure des Beaux Arts, Montpellier, France |
SOLO SHOWS (SELECTION)
| 2026 | TEMPLON, Paris, France |
|---|---|
| Espai d'Art Contemporani de Castelló (EACC), Castelló de la Plana, Spain | |
| 2024 | Landscape of the fall, Het Noordbrabants Museum (HNBM), ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands |
| 2023 | Solastagia: Archaeologies of Loss, The Power Plant, Toronto, Canada |
| Œuvre croisée, Librairie des Colonnes, Tangier, Marocco | |
| Géologie des déluges, Fondation François Schneider, Wattwiller, France | |
| COSMA, Templon, Paris, France |
Voir plus
GROUP SHOWS (SELECTION)
| 2025 | Islamic Arts Biennale, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia |
|---|---|
| Apocalypse. Hier et demain, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Paris, France | |
| Lire le ciel, Mucem, Marseille, France | |
| 2024 | Au bord des mondes, Prix Marcel Duchamp, Center Pompidou, Paris, France |
| Le jour des peintres, Musée d’Orsay, Paris | |
| Les lois de l’imaginaire, curated by Laure Forlay and Sophie Sizabuire, FRAC Auvergne in collaboration with the Musée d’Art et d’Archéologie, Aurillac, France | |
| 2023 | Prendre le soleil, Hangar Y, Meudon, France |
Voir plus
COLLECTIONS (SELECTION)
| Grand Paris Express, Vitry-sur-Seine, France | |
| Musée régional d’art contemporain, Sérignan, France | |
| FRAC Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand, France | |
| MATHAF, Musée Arabe d’Art Moderne et Contemporain, Doha, Qatar | |
| FRAC Occitanie Montpellier, Montpellier, France | |
| DRAC Centre, Orléans, France | |
| FRAC Languedoc Roussillon, Montpellier, France |
Voir plus
RESIDENCIES (SELECTION)
| 2026 | Villa Albertine, New York, USA |
|---|---|
| 2018 – 2019 | Villa Medicis, Roma, Italy |
| 2017 | Beirut Art Residency, Lebanon |
| 2016 | a.r.i.a Residency, Algiers, Algeria |
AWARDS
| 2024 | Finalist for the Marcel Duchamp prize, Paris, France |
|---|---|
| 2018 | Winner of the Occitanie-Médicis Price, France |
| 2015 | Winner of the Drawing Now Price, France Art Collector Price, France |
Press
Le Journal des Arts- March 2025
One Apocalypse trop ordonnée à la BNF
Grande Loge de France- February 2025
Apocalypse - Hier et demain
Connaissance Des Arts- February 2025
Exposition à Paris: L'Apocalypse vue par les artistes, enter catastrophe et révélation
Le monde - February 2025
La Biennale des arts islamiques de Djedda, l'autre levier du soft power saoudien
Roxana Azimi
The Art Newspaper - january, 2024
Les nommés du Prix Marcel-Duchamp dévoilés
Le Quotidien de l'Art - january, 2024
Le prix Marcel Duchamp révèle ses 4 finalistes
François Salmeron
Canvas - January, 2024
Finalists for the Marcel Duchamp Prize 2024 Announced
Beaux Arts Paris - january, 2024
Abdelkader Benchamma, finaliste pour le Prix Marcel Duchamp 2024
Les Inrockuptibles - July, 2023
Les déluges sortent du cadre
Télérama - janvier 2023
La Chronique d'Olivier Céna
The Art Newspaper - janvier 2023
La Fondation François Schneider donne carte blanche à Abdelkader Benchamma
The Art Newspaper.fr - mars 2020
Le Grand Paris Express, laboratoire pour les artistes
Anne-Lys Thomas
Daily Art News Paper.fr - décembre 2019
Pour Abdelkader Benchamma, le dessin est une fin en soi
Sébastien Planas
La Croix - octobre 2018
Une plongée cosmique dans la nuit blanche
M le Magazine du Monde - avril 2018
Exploration souterraine
Art Absolument - juillet 2011
Le dessin comme archipel
News
Abdelkader Benchamma
APOCALYPSE, HIER ET DEMAIN
Group show
BnF, Paris
From February 4 to June 8, 2025
On the occasion of the group show Apocalypse, Hier et demain, curated by Jeanne Brun and Pauline Créteur, Abdelkader Benchamma is exhibiting his works at the Bibliothèque nationale de France from February 4, 2025. The exhibition features a range of contemporary works, including monumental ones that depict the day after, marked by the “wrath” of God or the elements.
Abdelkader Benchamma
LIRE LE CIEL
Group show
Mucem, Marseille
From July 9, 2025 to January 5, 2026
On the occasion of the group show Lire le ciel, Abdelkader Benchamma exhibits six works curated by Juliette Bessette and Enguerrand Lascols from July 9, 2025 at the Mucem. Through this dialogue between the arts and sciences, the exhibition aims to question our current relationship with the starry sky.
Abdelkader Benchamma
ISLAMIC ARTS BIENNALE
Group show
Diriyah Biennale Foundation, Saudi Arabia
From January 25 to May 25, 2025
Abdelkader Benchamma participate in the second edition of the Islamic Arts Biennale in Diriyah from January 25, 2025. The exhibited artists explore themes of spirituality, identity, and the intersection of past and present, while fostering cross-cultural connections and expanding the global understanding of Islamic art and culture.
Abdelkader Benchamma
LANDSCAPE OF THE FALL – NETHERLANDS
Solo Show
Het Noordbrabants Museum, Netherlands
From November 16 to March 9, 2025
The Het Noordbrabants Museum dedicates its very first exhibition in the Netherlands to Abdelkader Benchamma from November 16, 2024. For the occasion, the artist connects some of his works with the tradition of Dutch masters such as Jheronimus Bosch and Pieter Bruegel.
Abdelkader Benchamma
AU BORD DES MONDES – PRIX MARCEL DUCHAMP
Group show
Center Pompidou, Paris
From October 2, 2024 to January 6, 2025
On the occasion of the 24th edition of the Prix Marcel Duchamp, curated by Jeanne Brun, Abdelkader Benchamma will present his works and an in-situ installation from October 2, 2024 at the Centre Pompidou in Paris.
Abdelkader Benchamma
Philippe Cognée
Bilal Hamdad
Antoine Roegiers
LE JOUR DES PEINTRES
Group show
Musée d'Orsay, Paris
September 19, 2024
On the occasion of the group show Le jour des peintres, Abdelkader Benchamma, Philippe Cognée, Bilal Hamdad and Antoine Roegiers will be exhibiting their works at the Musée d’Orsay on September 19, 2024 from 2pm to 9.30pm. Orchestrated by the artist Thomas Lévy-Lasne, the event will bring together eighty contemporary painters alongside one of their works in the museum’s galleries.
Abdelkader Benchamma
Jeanne Vicerial
LES LOIS DE L’IMAGINAIRE
Group show
Musées d’Aurillac, France
From May 24 to September 21, 2024
On the occasion of the group show Les lois de l’imaginaire, curated by Laure Folzay and Sophie Sizabuire, Abdelkader Benchamma and Jeanne Vicerial will be exhibiting their work from May 24, 2024 at the Musées d’Aurillac, Les Écuries in collaboration with the Frac Auvergne.
Abdelkader Benchamma
Iván Navarro
Prune Nourry
MÉTRO ! LE GRAND PARIS EN MOUVEMENT
Group show
Cité de l'Architecture et du Patrimoine, Paris
From November 8, 2023 to June 2, 2024
On the occasion of the group show Métro! Le Grand Paris en mouvement, Abdelkader Benchamma, Iván Navarro and Prune Nourry will be exhibiting their works from November 8, 2023 at the Cité de l’Architecture et du Patrimoine in Paris. Focusing on mobility and urbanity, the exhibition presents visionary projects and the fictional world of the subway, curated by Dominique Perrault, Francis Rambert and Jean-Marc Hofman.
