Every October, I head to Tunis where the weather’s still warm and the city hums with art and culture. This trip, October 15-21, 2025, was about reconnecting: meeting with designers, visiting exhibitions, and experiencing the city’s creative energy with friends. Here’s what inspired me.
Flying south of Tunis overlooking Boukournine National Park Hammam-Lif.
I’m usually exhausted after the overnight flight from the U.S., but I always make sure to wake up for the descent into Tunis-Carthage International Airport, when the coastline emerges from the Mediterranean Sea. This time, the plane circled past Boukournine National Park, just south of downtown Tunis, before landing.
Flaÿou’s studio in La Marsa.
I lived on the second floor of this house with two Tunisian roommates, Zina and Rihab, from September 2005 to June 2006.
Home base is split between La Marsa and Mornag, staying with my closest friend, architect Senda ben Jaafar, and her family. Which means that on my first full day, I’m clocking steps in La Marsa to meet Hella of Flaÿou and Baraa. Every time I’m in the neighborhood, I make a point to walk by the apartment I lived in from September 2005 to June 2006 while in Tunisia on a Fulbright.
Discovering Baraa’s new collection at her atelier in La Marsa.
Baraa and friends.
Baraa had just returned from a runway show in Monaco, where she and Anissa Aida were invited to present their latest collections.
Previewing Anissa Aida’s new collection.
Visiting Anissa at her atelier in Mutuelleville (Photo: Michelle Branch).
Soukra has carried Anissa Aida since our launch in 2017, and watching the brand evolve and Anissa’s collections deepen over the years, has been an exciting part of this work. No trip to Tunis is complete without a visit to her studio in the Mutuelleville neighborhood of Tunis to preview new pieces, exchange ideas, and explore possibilities for future collaborations. Anissa is featured in Kent State University’s exhibition, A Meeting of Cultures: Fashioning North Africa, through May 10, 2026.
Bardo Collection showroom.
Bardo Collection showroom.
Bardo Collection showroom, featuring blanket embroidered by Tilli Tanit.
Bardo Collection showroom, presenting leather pieces made by My Little Bagatelle.
This was my second time visiting architect Chacha Atallah’s showroom for her project, Bardo Collection, a space where her own furniture designs sit alongside artist collaborations, pieces by fellow designers, and vintage finds. The showroom occupies the third floor of a building Chacha designed herself, which also houses the Selma Feriani Gallery.
M’Barek Bouhchichi at Selma Feriani Gallery.
M’Barek Bouhchichi at Selma Feriani Gallery.
M’Barek Bouhchichi at Selma Feriani Gallery.
M’Barek Bouhchichi at Selma Feriani Gallery.
Spanning three floors in the same building as Bardo Collection is Selma Feriani Gallery. During my visit, the gallery was showing M’Barek Bouhchichi’s solo exhibition Les Graines Noirs (Black Seeds), curated by Beya Othmani and Omar Berrada. Also on view were engravings of Gouider Triki, and the group exhibition, I have lived on the land long before swords turn man into prey. Bouhchichi’s exhibition was recently included in Artforum’s top 10 exhibitions in 2025, selected by curator Manuel Borja-Villel.
Aymen Mbarki at La Boîte gallery space.
Lobby installation at Kilani Groupe offices.
Mohamed Ben Soltane at Kilani Groupe offices.
Nadia Kaabi-Linke at Kilani Groupe offices.
I finally made it to La Boîte in the Charguia neighborhood of Tunis, an art space that combines a public gallery and the private collection of the Kilani family, shown throughout the offices of Kilani Groupe. Founded in 2007, La Boîte was created to broaden access to contemporary art and to support artists at every stage of their process. At its heart is founder Fatma Kilani, a collector and marketing professor and researcher at IHEC Carthage University. Employees of Kilani Groupe, many of whom are new to contemporary art, are invited to engage with the exhibitions and artists workshops, all sponsored by the company.
Dream City poster in front of Le Rio Theater.
Attendees at Le Rio Theater following the performance of Laaroussa Quartet.
Every two years, l’Art Rue activates the streets and public spaces of downtown Tunis for Dream City. Over two weeks each October, the festival fills the city with performances, exhibitions, installations, workshops, and conversations. This trip, I went with Senda and Anissa to Le Rio Theater to see the dance performance Laaroussa Quartet. The piece is inspired by the women potters of Sejnane – their gestures, their environment and the strength of their community. It has been performed at the Festival d’Avignon and in Sharjah, UAE, with an upcoming presentation in Belgium.
With friends at Dar ben Gacem – Michelle, Rafram, Anissa, and Leila (Photo: Leila ben Gacem).
Couscous at Dar ben Gacem (Photo: Michelle Branch).
To cap off the trip, my friend and social entrepreneur Leila ben Gacem hosted artist Rafram Chaddad, designers Anissa Meddeb, my friend Michelle Branch and me for lunch at Dar ben Gacem, where we enjoyed conversation over delicious couscous. The following photos are from the rest of the trip, and Art Basel Paris.
The garden of the house I stay at in La Marsa.
Hazelnut samsa, my favorite sweet treat in Tunisia.
Tunisia’s local beer, Celtia.
Rooftop view of the Punic Port in Carthage.
Hotel du Lac in Tunis, which is currently under demolition.
Doorway in the medina of Tunis.
In the medina of Tunis (photo: Michelle Branch).
Dates hanging in the central market in Tunis.
Stormy skies over the beach at La Marsa.
A fruit stand in the market in La Marsa.
The garden in Mornag.
Senda’s home in Mornag.
Shadows in Mornag.
Catching up with friend Karaugh (who is wearing Anissa Aida) at Art Basel Paris.
