Sarri Elfaitouri

This project examines the spatial, political, and ecological encounter between two opposing architectural typologies in Libya: the indigenous Senussi Zawiyas and the Italian Colonial Borgos. Historically, Zawiyas functioned as multifaceted monastic complexes that shaped pre-colonial Libya through their roles as agricultural hubs, educational centers, spiritual retreats, courts, and, during Italian occupation, sites of resistance. In contrast, Borgos were purpose-built agricultural villages designed under Mussolini’s late-1920s modernization strategy to resettle thousands of impoverished Italian peasants on appropriated Libyan land. This settlement programme displaced local populations into concentration camps embedding a colonial model later applied in Sicily.

Destination: Libya → France
Itinerary: Sarri will attend the 11-month Residency of the Fondation Fiminco in Paris where he will work on an experimental, interdisciplinary art project that blends academic research with digital and installation art. The project aims to deconstruct informal urban expansion in Libya as a possible form of social, political and spacial resistance. It will feature an installation, based on research, representing the diverse layers of Libyan society, political life, and culture. In addition to developing his artistic skills, the residency will offer Sarri the opportunity to broaden his professional relations in Libya and abroad, and to establish a new international artistic network in Paris.