About

Motif Art Studio is a small contemporary art space in Smara Camp that fosters possibilities for experimentation, knowledge creation, and research rooted in the context of the Sahrawi people. The Sahrawi artists and photographers represented by Motif Art Studio present a body of work that weaves through everyday visual narratives from the Sahrawi community and the desert landscape. The artists, photographers, and filmmakers capture moments and situations reflecting the realities of both past and present life of the Sahrawi people. Themes of displacement, dislocation, and life in exile strongly illustrate the notion of “beyond borders.” As the Sahrawi people experience life on borrowed land, the artists’ works mirror two contrasting realities: the refugee camps and the past nomadic life in their homeland of Western Sahara.