Wind Rewind revisits part of Ismaïl Bahri's artistic practice and presents his most recent research. With a foreword by Morad Montazami, this artist's book features a previously unpublished interview between Ismaïl Bahri and
François Piron, interspersed with numerous reproductions of early and recent works, as well as working documents and archival materials.
This book was conceived and laid out in close collaboration with graphic designer Odilon Coutarel through a constant dialogue between the content of the interview, the overarching themes of Ismaïl Bahri's work, the photographs, and other materials the artist has compiled about his work—from his early experiments to his finished works. Drawing on the qualities of various types of paper, Odilon Coutarel crafted this book as a layering of subtle strata, weaving together text and images until their patterns overlapped and text and material became intertwined.
Ismaïl Bahri (born 1978) studied art in Paris and Tunis, his birth town. He works in both cities. Bahri works with video, drawing, sculpture and sound, without confining himself to any particular medium. He positions himself as an observer in order to create a framework for capturing gestures and empirical experiences, paying attention to "what is happening". His work explores the meaning that emerges at the periphery of vision, and the presence of the surrounding world as it manifests itself and reveals itself.
His works have been exhibited internationally at institutions such as the Centre Pompidou, the
Jeu de Paume, the Museo Reina Sofía, the Espace Khiasma, the Beirut Art Centre, the Staatliche Kunsthalle in Karlsruhe and the IVAM (Institut Valencià d'Art Modern). His films and videos have been screened at international festivals and events, including the Toronto International Film Festival, the New York Film Festival, the Rotterdam International Film Festival, FIDMarseille and the Kunstenfestivaldesarts. His work has been exhibited at international biennials, notably the 11th Sharjah Biennial (2013) and the 13th Sharjah Biennial (2017), the Gherdëina Biennial in Italy (2024), and the Dakar Biennial in Senegal (2026). In 2023–2024, Ismaïl Bahri was an artist-in-residence at the Villa Medici (French Academy in Rome).
