B7L9 Art Station, La Marsa, Tunis
B7L9 Art Station is the first art station in Tunis located in a rural suburb that offers a full annual programme of artistic and cultural events, which is accessible and free of charge to all. The experimental art space was imagined and developed by the Kamel Lazaar Foundation (KLF) and can be found in Bahr Lazreg, a rural area of La Marsa. Bahr Lazreg is phonetically written “Ba7r Lazre9”, hence the name B7L9.
As the first permanent location of the KLF, the B7L9 works as a laboratory for knowledge exchange, where local and international artists can experiment, develop their practice and pursue their research. The art station provides the artistic and scientific community with a place for exchange, sharing, meetings and debates to explore new ideas and concepts together. Through workshops, seminars and events, B7L9 encourages guest artists to interact with local communities.
B7L9 aims to democratize contemporary art and reinforce social cohesion, by promoting a plurality of speakers (artists, thinkers, citizens, researchers, etc.) and prioritizing cultural diversity. Because Bhar Lazreg has a large population from sub-Saharan Africa, the art station also hopes to contribute to the integration of populations of foreign origins and create social and economic impact in disadvantaged areas through art and culture. B7L9 seeks to change the relationship between centre and periphery, regional and international, and to trigger an intercultural dialogue with local and global institutions and actors.
The 600m2 building hosts three to four major exhibitions each year. The dynamic space includes an exhibition space, a projection room, a pavilion for artistic residencies, studios, a library and a cafe on the terrace.
