Tewa Barnosa (b.1998) is a Trans-disciplinary artist and cultural producer born in Tripoli and based in Amsterdam, her artistic practice spans across trajectories of visual arts, time-based media, and curatorial collaborations, her body of work consists of audio-visual installations, text, performance, expanded paintings and objects that are her tools and toys for investigating taboos and territories on the margins, Grounded in critical curiosity- and research based knowledge re-interpretation and re-production(s), She finds observations in historical and political contradiction, contemporary polarities, and the transitional “in-between” physical, psychological and public spaces.

Through recontextualization of source materials, generated fiction and mythologies or investigated historical archives, She repositions fragments of evidence concerning human alienation and socio-ecological turbulence, intersecting with frameworks of war laboratories and the violations of cognitive and cultural means of resistance.

Her pedagogical and curatorial methodology are informed by researching, organizing and engaging in the local Libyan context, she initiated WaraQ art space in 2015 centering around collaborative processes such as exhibition projects, publishing, space-making, and public interventions to facilitate nomadic infrastructures of co-creation and conversations.

Barnosa is currently a post-grad Sonology student at the Royal conservatoire in The hague 2024-2025, and an Alumnus of the Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten 2021-2023, a recipient of the Iwaelwahaus african artist award 2021, and the Berlin based fellowship for artists at risk by the Martin roth initiative 2019-2020.





CV ︎
PORTFOLIO ︎
ARTIST STATEMENT ︎






SOLO SHOWS:

- Cursed and Sacred
Iwalewa African art awards
Bayrueth, Germany
2021

- Out of place
Curated by Adnan Misal
Uqbar Space, Berlin, Germany
2019

- Silence
Galeria David Gallo, Milano, Italy
2018



AWARDS & RESIDENCIES:
- Villa Romana, Guest Residency, Florence 2024
- Neither on Land nor on Sea, Foundation Pistelleto, Biella, Italy 2023
- BJCEM Biennale of young Mediterranean and EU artists, Residency, Cyprus 2023
- Iwalewahaus African artists award 2021
- Artist prize 68 projects space in partnership with Contemporary art alliance 2019, Berlin
- Artist residency at Casa Arabe, Cordoba, September 2019
- A journey of belonging Studio residency, 2019, CAA berlin
- Artists at risk fellowship, Hosted by CoCulture, Awarded by Martin Roth initiative, Berlin 2019/2020
- European cultural foundation mobility grant, 2018
- Start-up weekend 1st place winner for best project plan, Tripoli 2013





SELECTED EXHIBITIONS:


2024: 

- Say My name, Metro 54, Amsterdam, 2024

2023:

- Totalitarian Props
The Africa centre in partnership with Shubbak festival, London, UK

- Open Studios
Artists in residence Rijksakademie 
Amsterdam, The Netherlands


2022:

- Connection
Galerie Bart, Amsterdam

- Open Studios, Artists in residence 2021/2022
Rijksakademie 
Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Resilient Grounds, Nurturing Soil
SALWA Foundation at CASCO
Utrecht, The Netherlands

- How to Ascertain time?” 
SAVVY Contemporay
Berlin, Germany

2021

- Solo exhibition: Cursed and Sacred
Iwalewa African art awards
October, Bayrueth, Germany

- Hotel Sahara
Magasins généraux, Paris
01.06.2021  

- Shifting Sands
WaraQ art foundation
Tripoli, May 2021

- Open sesame: A photophobic experiment
Curated by Erkan Affan
Bärenzwinger Berlin
January - March 2021

2020:

- New Spaces/New perspectives
Curated by Maritta Iselar
Mercator Projektzentrum, Berlin
13.03.2020 - 28.02.2021

- Common Grounds
68 Project space, Berlin
13.08.2020 - 05.09.2020


2019 :

- Dwaya Annual Exhibition
Gallery Arabeske, Heidelberg
Supported by Heinrich Böll Stiftung

- Untoured
After europe festival
Sophiensalle, Berlin

- Retracing a disapearing landscape
Curated by Najla Alageli
Casa arabe, Cordoba

- ISUSU Afrofuturism festival,
Beke'ch Berlin, 22 August

- New spaces New perspective
Curated by Maritta Iselar
Mercator Foundation, Essesn

- Freedom Transmissions, CoCulture
Haus Ungarn, Berlin

- A journey of belonging ll
CAA contemporary art alliance, Berlin

- Out of place solo exhibition
Curated by Adnan Misal
Mutterzunge Berlin

2018 :
Common past common future festival of performances in public space // Vienna
Sahara: What’s written will remain // Gallerie Delle Prigioni, Treviso
Imago Mundi collection // Benetton foundation, Treviso
Dwaya calligraphy exhibition // Taher Haddad cultural house | Tunis
Retracing a disappearing landscape // Curated by Najla Alageli at P21 gallery London
Across Borders // Curated by the artist at 12-14 contemporary | Vienna
Neither Here Nor there // Curated by Variant collective at The foundry | London
Retracing a disappearing landscape // Curated by Najla Alageli | Casa arabe | Madrid

2017 :
Radical Love female lust // The crypt gallery | London
For Libya exhibition // French cultural institute | Tunis
Warning // WaraQ art foundation | Tripoli
Across Borders // Swab art fair | Barcelona
Radical Love female lust // Gallery X | Dublin
Dwaya Annual Calligraphy exhibition // Dar Alfaghih Hassan | Tripoli

2016 :
Textural Threads // curated by Noon arts | AWAN festival | London
Aura // curated by Rawan Muntasser and British council Libya | Tripoli
Dwaya annual calligraphy exhibition // Dar Alfaghih Hassan | Tripoli
Nushu’o // Dar alfaghih hassan | Tripoli



Talks, gatherings and workshops:

Arts, Identity and solidarity, Liverpool arab arts festival, July 2020
Navigating orientalism in contemporary western society, organized by Queer arab barty, Vorpiel Berlin
BlackBox Libya, Panel discussion, Heinrich böll Stiftung, Berlin
Freedom Transmissions, The long night of ideas, Haus Ungarn
Life in exile, Keynote speech, Körber Stiftung, Hamburg
Music freedom day, Panel discussion, by Safemuse at Kulture house, Oslo
Sahara: What’s written will remain | Gallerie delle prigioni | Italy
Art within Conflict, Talk about curatorial practices in Libya - Cast arabe - Madrid
Arts, Rights and Justice forum, The ministry of foreign affairs | Berlin
Culture, Identity and diversity Speaker at Global media forum | duetche welle
Stable and changing variables Speaker at Tedx youth Alssarim | Tripoli
Meet the artist talk at the opening of Gallerie delle prigioni | Treviso
History of the Libyan art scene Discussion Moderator at Waraq art foundation
Art in public space (The city is our gallery) Discussion Moderator at Waraq foundation