As part of the Saison Méditerranée 2026, the association Parallèle, the L’École(s) du Sud network, and four partner art schools and members of the MIRAMAR network — the Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts, the DARET center, the National Institute of Fine Arts of Tétouan, and Les Ateliers Sauvages — are joining forces to present A Mediterranean New Generation.
A collective and transdisciplinary exhibition, A Mediterranean New Generation will bring together 16 emerging Mediterranean artists and will take place from May 21 to August 9, 2026, in Marseille on the 5th floor of La Friche la Belle de Mai. A public program will accompany the exhibition.
— The 8 award-winning artists graduating from L’École(s) du Sud schools:
Mahdi Oussama
Maeva Pillon
Noemie Cartailler
Francesco Canova
Anouch Basbous
Youssef Amir
Gil Lekh
Alexia Croset
— The 8 award-winning artists from the Southern Mediterranean shore (Morocco, Algeria, Lebanon):
Oualid Lazrak
Christina Maalouf
Fella Tamzali
Houssem Harrak and Achraf Saadi
Oumayma Abouzid Souali
Loutfi Souidi
Mounia Bouchra
The exhibition is curated by Soukaina Aboulaoula.
Soukaina Aboulaoula is an independent curator and researcher based in Marrakech. Her work explores memory, storytelling, and forms of knowledge transmission, bridging academic research and curatorial practice. She has curated projects such as Right on Time (Sheffield Doc/Fest, 2021), co-curated If A Tree Falls In A Forest (Rencontres d’Arles, 2020–2022), and May Our Song Be Worthy of Those Who Listen (La Casa Encendida, Madrid, 2024). She is currently an ARAK Curatorial Fellow, where she is preparing an upcoming exhibition (February 2026) dedicated to African abstraction.
Partners:
— Parallèle
— L’École(s) du Sud network:
Beaux-Arts de Marseille – Campus Art Méditerranée
École nationale supérieure d’art de Nice – Villa Arson
École nationale supérieure de la Photographie d’Arles (ENSP)
École supérieure d’art d’Aix-en-Provence (ésaAix)
École supérieure d’art d’Avignon (ESAA)
École supérieure d’art et design Toulon Provence Méditerranée (ésadtpm)
École supérieure d’arts plastiques de la Ville de Monaco – Pavillon Bosio
École supérieure des Beaux-Arts de Nîmes (ésban)
— MIRAMAR Network:
Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts, Beirut, Lebanon
DARET, art and research residency, Casablanca, Morocco
National Institute of Fine Arts of Tétouan, Morocco
Les Ateliers Sauvages, visual and performing arts residency and writing space, Algiers, Algeria
Support:
Institut français, as part of the Saison Méditerranée; Institut français d’Algérie; Institut français du Maroc; Institut français du Liban; DRAC PACA through the Culture Pro program; member schools of the L’École(s) du Sud network; and co-produced with La Friche la Belle de Mai.
Open Call (December 2025)
As part of this exhibition — which will conclude a series of artistic residencies, meetings, and mentorships held in Spring 2026 in the Sud-Est region — an open call was circulated in December 2025 to graduates of schools within the L’École(s) du Sud network, inviting them to participate in the exhibition.
Eligibility criteria:
– Must have graduated within the past five years (classes of 2021–2025) from one of the member schools of the L’École(s) du Sud network
– Must reside in the Sud region
– Must be available during the periods specified in the provisional schedule (see below)
– Must hold artist-author status registered with URSSAF Limousin
Financial conditions
Covered:
– Per diem or meals for the collective working day and installation week
– Exhibition rights fee for participation in a group exhibition (€200)
– Fee for the adaptation of an artwork (€500)
Also covered:
– Three round trips to Marseille (for the collective meeting, installation, and opening)
– Accommodation during installation week and for the opening
Support provided:
– Individual and collective working sessions with the curator
– Peer exchange and collective development of the exhibition
– Networking with participating art schools and their ecosystems
– Exchanges with professional partners involved in the project