Monia Ben Hamouda

Ya’aburnee (يقبرني) – Untranslated Fragment I & II are floor pieces made of stone on which the artist has inscribed a pattern. Monia Ben Hamouda creates a pattern retracing the path to her familial burial site in a Muslim cemetery in Kairouan, Tunisia. Inspired by ancient artifacts like the Rosetta Stone, the work features cracks and carved script that suggest fragments of lost meaning. The title, “Ya’aburnee,” can be forcibly translated as “You bury me” in Lebanese Arabic — a phrase expressing deep love and grief.

　　In Aniconism as Figuration Urgency (Post-Scriptum), Ben Hamouda works with the Islamic pictorial tradition of aniconism, which avoids depicting living beings. She transforms Arabic letters into sculptural forms that resemble bodies, turning writing into movement.

　　Ben Hamouda explores cultural memory, language, and loss through sculpture and installation. Her work draws on Islamic traditions, Arabic calligraphy, and her experience growing up between two cultures.