"The light of the Mediterranean is like no other—it is pure, bright, and alive. It floods the canvas and sets the colors dancing with joy."
— Henri Matisse
Galerie NIL presents Méditerranées, a summer group exhibition running from July 17 to August 23, 2025, exploring the Mediterranean not as a fixed place, but as an enduring source of artistic inspiration.
Bringing together seven contemporary artists, Méditerranées evokes the sea, light, and atmosphere of the region as a shared language through which personal visions emerge. This is not a political or historical commentary, but a poetic exploration—blending memory, myth, and individual experience into layered, expressive visual worlds.
For centuries, the Mediterranean has inspired artists drawn to its luminous light, symbolic landscapes, and mythic histories—from ancient frescoes and mosaics to the vivid palettes of Turner, Monet, and Matisse. The artists in Méditerranées continue this tradition, reinterpreting these enduring visual and emotional motifs through contemporary expressions shaped by memory, materiality, and myth.
Moroccan artist Nabil El Makhloufi approaches the Mediterranean as a space of passage, migration—both real and symbolic. Through pared-down compositions inhabited by solitary figures and quiet tension, his work evokes states of transition and in-betweenness. Rather than depicting a specific geography, El Makhloufi reflects the Mediterranean as a site of displacement, waiting, and transformation—where identities are quietly constructed, deconstructed, and reimagined.
Based between France and Greece, Simon Buret fuses technical precision with emotional depth. His multidisciplinary work unfolds through richly layered compositions that invite reflection and a meditative presence. Within these contemplative spaces, he traces the delicate balance between vulnerability and resilience, revealing the subtle shifts that shape our inner and outer worlds.
French artist Anaïs Maar explores mythology and identity through vivid, layered scenes of hybrid figures and symbolic animals. Reflecting the Mediterranean’s dual nature, Maar describes her work as “like the Mediterranean Sea—at times calm as oil, at times full of fury; a delicate ebb and flow, rich with mythologies… a raging volcano beneath still waters.”
British artist Matt Macken presents figurative paintings from his Pyromaniac series, where vibrant, emotionally charged compositions confront the psychological and ecological tensions of our time. Positioned within the Mediterranean—one of the most climate-vulnerable regions—his work becomes a powerful metaphor for rising heat, environmental fragility, and the frustration of global inaction.
Belgian expressionist Gommaar Gilliams creates dreamlike paintings where abstraction and symbolism intertwine. His fresco-like surfaces summon celestial and mythic figures, evoking universal feelings of longing, memory, and transcendence.
Greek artist Dimitris Gketsis draws on his country’s mythological legacy to build immersive contemporary narratives. His works blend ancient symbols with modern expression, inviting viewers to reconsider the fluidity of collective memory.
British-Iraqi artist Malik Thomas creates paintings and fiber works that interweave personal memory and cultural heritage. On hand-dyed fabrics, his layered compositions explore harmony and chaos, examining themes of purification, resilience, and reclamation.
Méditerranées offers a rich and poetic vision of the Mediterranean as a space of light, myth, emotion, and transformation—inviting viewers to experience its mystery through seven contemporary voices.
