Biography
Shourouk Rhaiem is a French artist of Tunisian descent whose work explores the emotional and symbolic power of consumer culture.
Her sculptures and installations are often made from vintage consumer products—detergent boxes, perfume bottles, soda cans, VHS tapes—carefully embellished with Swarovski crystals. By arranging these objects on shelves reminiscent of altars, she elevates them beyond their original commercial function, transforming them into dreamlike symbols of desire and projection. Echoing the ideas of Roland Barthes, Rhaiem’s work invites viewers to reflect on the illusion and enchantment surrounding consumption, and on how ordinary objects can shape our collective fantasies. Her installations often draw on childhood memories, when advertising images and television fed her fascination with pop culture icons.
Rhaiem first gained international attention with her 2018 exhibition Ordinary Life at the Swarovski flagship store in Vienna. Since then, her work has been featured in major international events, including Milan Design Week (2023), Art SG in Singapore (2024), and the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in Bangkok, which invited her in December 2023 to create an installation around iconic Thai products. Her next installation will be unveiled in June 2025 at the Institut du Monde Arabe as part of the exhibition The Mystery of Cleopatra.
This summer, Rhaiem will unveil a new installation at the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris as part of the exhibition The Mystery of Cleopatra, running from June 11, 2025, to January 11, 2026. A selection of her works will also be on view at 193 Gallery’s booth at Art Monte-Carlo, from July 7 to 9. In addition, Rhaiem is participating in an exhibition curated by Elle magazine, which will be presented in August at the France Pavilion of the Osaka World Expo. The show will then travel to the Alliance Française in Bangkok, the Consulate General of France in New York, before returning to Paris.
