Friendly faces, full rooms, and a lot of love, the pre-opening of Holding the Line and the beginning of Jidar in Algiers. Grateful for this energy, and excited to bring our brick to an already thriving art ecosystem.
With special thanks to @lamaisondesmets for the impeccable catering, and to @2horlogesproduction and @rythmxxd for capturing the evening.
#algiers #algeria #art #gallery #contemporary
HOLDING THE LINE installation progress
A piece built around memory , resistance, and staying present.
This installation continues my reflection on the traces of revolution in Algeria, and the quiet strength carried through generations especially by women. Not always centered, but always holding.
Through cutting , and painting , I tried to create a balance between tension and stability
To hold the line is simply to remain.
Curated by @fouadb_ & @minahabchi
Shoots : 📷 @rythmxxd #algeria #gallery #installation #acrylicpainting #art
Where people meet, something holds - between resistance, womanhood, and the lines we carry , Holding the Line opens Sunday 19th April, by appointment only (via DM),
noon-6pm, daily except Friday.
EXHIBITION EXTENDED‼️ We have extended the closing date of our latest exhibition “Dust - هباء” to now April 5th, 2026 🎉
MamarLab’s latest exhibition features the works of Algerian artist Mehdi Djelil (Bardi), curated by Fouad Boudjedra (Jidar).
Across these larger-than-life paintings, and works on wood and paper, Bardi revisits the grotesque and the body as sites of renewal.
Come visit us daily in Mina Zayed, Abu Dhabi. To enquire about any artworks, feel free to DM MamarLab directly.
Photography by @peterlouis___
In this studio talk, Algerian artist Mehdi Djelil (Bardi) presents the conceptual and material foundations of Dust, his latest solo exhibition at MamarLab, Abu Dhabi. Filmed in his studio in Algiers, this video offers rare insight into Bardi’s artistic process and the evolution of his visual language.
Dust is presented by Jidar in collaboration with MamarLab, Abu Dhabi. Exhibition runs from February 21st until March 8th, 2026 #artexhibition #contemporaryart #algeria #abudhabi #dubai
Tomorrow, the diablotins take their place.
Dust, a solo exhibition by Mehdi Djelil (Bardi), opens Saturday February 21st at 8.00pm at MamarLab, Abu Dhabi.
Join us for the opening and an intimate suhoor among the works.
RSVP via the link in bio.
#ContemporaryArt #AbuDhabiArt #ArtExhibition #MiddleEasternArt #GalleryOpening
Dust, a solo exhibition by Mehdi Djelil (Bardi), opens Saturday February 21st at 8.00pm at MamarLab, Abu Dhabi. Join us for an intimate suhoor and preview of the works.
Come see the diablotins — they have been waiting to see you too. #contemporaryart #abudhabi #artexhibition #algeria #ramadan
A look into Mehdi Djelil’s studio (Bardi) ahead of his solos show Dust هباء, opening February 21st, 8.00pm, at MamarLab, MiZa, Abu Dhabi. #artiststudio
#contemporaryart
#abudhabiart
#middleeasternart
#artexhibition Credits: @studiokite.jpg
A night in Istanbul where Dust unfolded as an experience.
Guests crossed the Bosphorus to gather in a home that became an exhibition space. Around selected works from Dust, devils appeared as avatars and sentinels — playful, unsettling, watching over the night.
At the center, a table conceived as a body slowly transformed. Spices were not seasoning but pigment — saffron, charcoal, cumin, sumac forming a living palette. Candle wax melted, colors spread, smells filled the room. Candleholders echoed the body, excess, and the grotesque — long-standing threads in Bardi’s practice.
Guests were invited to act. Pastel crayons mixed with spiced wax, oils, crumbs, and vanilla cream. Devils were drawn, smeared, invented — scary, playful, absurd, tender. Destruction became a condition for creation.
As materials moved, conversations deepened. What remained was connection, residue, and shared attention — the true spirit of Dust.
We sailed back toward Istanbul’s shore carrying fragments of the night with us, having connected with Bardi’s devils not as images, but as presences.
Dust opens February 21st
MamarLab, Mina Zayed, Abu Dhabi | 8 PM – Midnight
