Must-See: Following Hamid Zénati’s Nomadic Textiles

This review is part of a series of Must-See shows, in which a writer delivers a snapshot of a current exhibition  

It's rare for an exhibition of so-called applied arts to evoke a sense of motion. Typically, such displays are confined to dimly lit vitrines, where fragile relics are encased in quiet reverence. Yet, walking through ‘Eclectic Affinities’ – an exhibition that brings together the collection of the Museum Angewandte Kunst in Frankfurt and the decades-long artistic practice of Hamid Zénati – one does not simply witness movement, but creates it. Zénati’s mesmerizing textile works, suspended from the ceiling and walls, sway lightly as visitors pass.

Born in French-occupied Algeria in 1944, Zénati lived as a wanderer, always carrying his works with him in a suitcase. He eventually settled in Munich, where he passed away in 2022, the same year he received institutional recognition in the form of a solo exhibition at Haus der Kunst. His self-taught ethos and refusal to fit into given moulds are palpable in his alluring yet elusive textiles, with their repetitive patterns and bursting colours, as well as in his drawings and photographic works.

The varied pieces from the museum’s collection and Zénati’s body of work complement each other, creating a convincing dialogue across nine thematic chapters. The (intentional) clash, however, occurs at the curatorial level: Zénati’s works float alongside the traditional pedestal displays, giving space to their fluidity. The same tension is generated in the meticulously detailed exhibition booklet, where Zenati’s untitled and undated works undermine any attempt at systematic categorization.

‘Eclectic Affinities’ weaves together a story of both connection and resistance while avoiding the pitfall of othering. Zénati’s oeuvre shines in dialogue with the classic Western presentation of ‘history’, without being reduced to a mere fig leaf. The exhibition thus serves as both a subtle institutional critique and a captivating portrait of an autodidact artist who defied classification and remained, always, in motion.

Hamid Zénati’s ‘Eclectic Affinities’ is on view at the Museum Angewandte Kunst, Frankfurt, until 12 January 2025

_{Main image: Hamid Zénati, Untitled, undated. Courtesy: © Hamid Zénati Estate; photograph: Maximilian Geuter}