On the occasion of the opening of the exhibition At-Tāriq, the artist Tarek Atoui and the curator Daniela Zyman engage a conversation about Atoui’s artistic practice and his latest commission for TBA21. The event serves to uncover the artist's creative process and the ways in which sound, space and history intersect in his work. Talking with Zyman, Atoui reflects on how these sonic landscapes inform his experimental compositions and how his exhibition transforms historical resonance into contemporary experience, offering insight into the concept of “poetic hospitality” and the role of sound in building cultural connections.

Tarek Atoui is a French Lebanese artist and composer celebrated for his innovative approach to sound art. His work explores the intersections of sound, technology, memory, and perception, often through immersive installations and collaborative performances. His practice, which blends technological innovation with collective creation, positions him as a leading figure in redefining the boundaries of sound art and experimental composition. Atoui delves into musical traditions and acoustic landscapes from the Arab world and North Africa, reinterpreting them through contemporary techniques, improvisation, and electroacoustic experimentation. He has exhibited at institutions and events such as the Venice Biennale, Documenta 13, and the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York.

Daniela Zyman is a writer, curator, and the artistic director of TBA21 Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary. Prior to joining TBA21 in 2003, she served as chief curator at the MAK (Austrian Museum of Applied Arts / Contemporary Art in Vienna) from 1995 to 2001, where she also co-founded and programmed the MAK Center for Art and Architecture in Los Angeles. She was later the artistic director of the Künstlerhaus, Vienna, and the director of A9 Forum Transeuropa from 2000 to 2003. Zyman’s academic work explores artistic counter-research practices that challenge conventional methods and framings of research between aesthetics and science. She has lectured at the University of Art and Industrial Design in Linz and the University of Applied Arts in Vienna among others and frequently contributes essays to art publications.