The Circle & The Tempest Society is an exhibition composed around two key works from Bouchra Khalili’s most recent productions. The Circle (2022), co-commissioned by the LUMA Foundation, MACBA (Barcelona) and the Sharjah Art Foundation, centers on the story of Djellali Kamal, a member of the Arab Workers Movement, who was a candidate to the French presidential election of 1974. The title refers to the tradition of Al-Halqa, a centuries-old practice of storytelling in public spaces in Morocco in which the audience is an essential part. Alongside The Circle, the exhibition includes The Tempest Society (2017), a seminal work of the artist that had premiered at documenta 14 in Athens.

The Circle & The Tempest Society form together a powerful display, the culmination of many years of research on the history of struggles of North-African immigrants, political liberation and social solidarity in France. With history in constant dialogue with the present moment, the two works and their display form a space for reflection on civic belonging and the need for what the artist calls radical citizenship. The video installations are presented together with historical documents that examine the legacy of the Arab Workers Movement.