Lamia Bousnina Gallery’s inaugural exhibition, « Carthagisme » curated by Nicolas Bellavance-Lecompte, marks the gallery’s debut as a unique parallel project inspired by the legacy of Musk & Amber. The gallery is dedicated exclusively to collectible design and contemporary art. 

For the  exhibition, we have created with a collective of female embroiders from the coastal city of Mahdia in Tunisia, an ambitious large former tapestry entitled « Hannon and the Mediterranean Mirage » (200 x 283 cm), crafted from embroidered wool, raffia, silk, cotton, linen, and vintage life jacket fibers. 

This tapestry intricately narrates the exploration, tragedy, and societal reflection inherent in the journeys of the Carthaginian explorer Hannon from the 6th century BCE. Renowned for his voyages from Carthage to Mount Cameroon, Hannon’s encounters with nature and local customs are vividly portrayed against a backdrop evoking classic art and cultural symbolism. 

The tapestry captures scenes of migration and resilience, drawing a poignant parallel to the contemporary odyssey of Tunisian influencer Sabee al Saidi, and reflecting on Tunisia’s historical affluence and modern challenges within the broader context of today’s complex societal and political landscapes.

« Hannon and the Mediterranean Mirage » (200 x 283 cm), crafted from embroidered wool, raffia, silk, cotton, linen, and vintage life jacket fibers, ( 2024 ).

 

Hannon in the Land of Thirst

Entirely handcrafted in Mahdia, Tunisia, this tapestry combines traditional Tunisian embroidery and weaving techniques on a woven base, creating a refined mosaic of textures and materials. It follows Hannon and the Mediterranean Mirage, the first tapestry presented by Louis Barthélemy in Carthage with Lamia Bousnina Gallery, offering a poignant reflection on the historical and contemporary transformations of the Sahara and Tunisia.

At the center of the composition stands the Carthaginian explorer Hannon (5th century BCE), dressed in his tunic, gazing in astonishment at a scene of desolation: a lion, symbolizing courage and strength, lies vulnerable, perhaps asleep or weakened by thirst. Beside him, Hannon raises his arms toward the relentless sun, as though invoking divine forces. Renowned for his extensive travels, Hannon ventured as far as sub-Saharan Africa, establishing connections with local communities while mapping the West African coastline.

This work draws a parallel between two eras in Tunisia’s history: its ancient zenith, when Africa was viewed with optimism and openness, and its contemporary reality, marked by political instability, economic stagnation, and the loss of its youth and intellectual capital to mass migration. The Sahara, once a vast space of movement and exchange traversed by caravans, has, since decolonization, become a region segmented by militarized borders, sand walls, minefields, and sophisticated surveillance technologies, such as drones. In the foreground, a procession of sub-Saharan migrants trudges through the dunes, each figure clinging to a yellow plastic water container, a vital lifeline. Some, exhausted, lie in the sand, while at the head of the group, a young man holding an Android phone leads the way, directly inspired by the protagonist of Matteo Garrone’s 2023 film Io Capitano. The overcast sky recalls the renowned tapestry commissioned by Habib Bourguiba, Tunisia’s founding father, for his palace in Monastir.

Once emblematic of the nation’s economic and industrial ascent, that vision starkly contrasts with the decline and uncertainty depicted in this tapestry. In the background, the vulnerable lion echoes Eugène Delacroix’s Lion at the corpse of an Arab, while the depiction of the desert draws inspiration from the Orientalist paintings of Théodore Frère or Jean-Léon Gérôme, who romanticized the Sahara as a stage for grandiose narratives.

Together with « Hannon and the Mediterranean Mirage », this second tapestry, crafted from materials such as lurex, metal, plastic, raffia, agave fiber, wool from sheep and camels, and cotton, forms a powerful and evocative diptych.

It invites reflection on major contemporary societal issues and highlights the resilience of men and women who, despite the loss of dignity and the hardships they endure, embody an extraordinary force of life and courage.