Adel Abdessemed (French artist of Berber origin, born 1971, Constantine, Algeria) has been, for over thirty years, developing a politically engaged artistic practice. His works are expressions of screams, incandescence and freedom.

In 1992, after the beginning of the civil war, he fled Algeria for France. Upon his arrival, he studied at the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts de Lyon. After which he moved to New York, then to Berlin and finally to London. Today, he lives and works in Paris.

Inspired by classical culture, literature, poetry and his passion for music, Adel Abdessemed uses drawing, sculpture, performance, video and installation to make art the place where a society exposes its fragility and violence.

His desire to embrace diverse forms of expression has led him to collaborate with writers and poets such as Hélène Cixous, Julia Kristeva, Christophe Ono-dit-Biot and Adonis, as well as architects such as Jean Nouvel, with whom he has published several books.

His work enjoys international recognition, being regularly exhibited by the most prestigious institutions such as: MoMA PS1 in New York, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Parasol Unit in London, the Musée d'Art Contemporain (MAC) in Lyon, the CNAC - Le Magasin (Centre national d'art contemporain) in Grenoble, the CAC in Malaga or the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and many others. Recently, the artist inaugurated "An Imperial Message," a solo exhibition spanning more than five floors at the Rockbund Art Museum in Shanghai.

Adel Abdessemed has also participated three times in the Venice Art Biennial as well as the Istanbul, Havana, Gwangju, Lyon and São Paulo Biennials, the Milan Triennial and Oku-Noto in Japan.

He worked on the staging, decors, costumes and video of Olivier Messiaen's opera Saint-François d'Assise, a successful work in April 2024 at the Grand Theâtre de Genève, under the musical direction of Jonathan Nott. The artist will also participate in the 15th Biennale of Dakar in 2024, and the 4th Biennale of Bangkok in October.