The double exhibition at Istituto Svizzero in Milan, showcases the works of Maude Léonard-Contant and Monia Ben Hamouda. This collaborative effort between the two artists is driven by their shared fascination with materials and language exploration. Fragrant spices, molding sand, ceramic or metal intertwine in their installations, each material carrying narratives that unfold unexpectedly over time. Language serves as their medium, delving into translation processes, ephemeral sentences, and cultural reinterpretations, inviting reflection on multilingualism and the untranslatable. The title, NYX, alludes to the Greek goddess and embodiment of the night, who was born out of chaos and who accompanied the two artists in their work on the exhibition.

Biographies

Maude Léonard-Contant (1979, Joliette) originally from the Lanaudière region (Canada/Turtle Island), formerly Atikamekw territory, has been living in Switzerland since 2013. Her chosen territories since relocation are Central Switzerland, Poschiavo and Basel, where she works and raises a family. Her artistic work is fuelled by a back-and-forth between language and matter, as well as by reminiscences of a time when the more-than-humans ruled her life. She studied in Montreal (UQAM, Concordia University) and Glasgow (Glasgow School of Art). She is the recipient of several awards including the Frey-Näpflin Foundation’s work year and UBS Foundation recognition grant, the Spot on Prize, the Christina Spoerri Prize, and the Prize of the Lucerne Kunstgesellschaft. She has exhibited her work in different venues, among others: Museum of Fine Arts Chur, Switzerland; Kunsthalle Basel, Switzerland; Mayday, Basel; Swiss Art Awards, Basel; Darling Foundry, Montreal; Abrons Art Center, NYC; Tramway, Glasgow; and recently held solo exhibitions at Kunstmuseum Luzern (2023) and Kunsthaus Baselland (2022).

Monia Ben Hamouda (1991, Milan) is a Tunisian-Italian visual artist, based between Milan and al-Qayrawan. She earned a BFA at Brera Academy of Fine Art in Milan. Her work was exhibited in venues like: Kunsthalle Wien, Wien; MAXXI, Rome; MUDEC, Milan; FRAC Bretagne, Rennes; MUSEION, Bozen; MACRO, Rome; La Casa Encendida, Madrid; ChertLüdde, Berlin; Kunsthalle Mainz, Mainz; Ar/ge Kunst, Bozen. She is currently a finalist in the Maxxi Bvlgari Prize 2024. She was awarded the Vordemberge-Gildewart Foundation Grant (2024), the Italian Council for Contemporary Art (2023), the Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant (2022), the Art Business Accelerator Grant (2020) and the Ducato Contemporary Art Prize (Special award, 2021); she was also a finalist of the Club Gamec Prize VI (2022). Her work is featured in public collections such as: MAXXI, Rome; FRAC Bretagne, Rennes; MACRO, Rome; FRAC Corsica, Corse.