Tarek Atoui continues his long-term research trajectory with The Sahara Chapter, a three-year research project commissioned by Hartwig Art Foundation. The Sahara Chapter forms part of Atoui’s broader research and exhibition project At-Tāriq (2022–ongoing) and was launched in 2025 with a sold-out concert at De Balie, Amsterdam.
At the Thomaskerk, a Protestant church in Amsterdam Zuid with an active artistic programme, Atoui reiterates a central principle of his practice: music as a hospitable space. For this one-time concert, he invites members of the Amsterdam Andalusian Orchestra and Naghib Shanbehzadeh, who brings the percussive traditions of Southern Iran. The concert engages in a dialogue between traditional musical forms and Atoui's experimental electronic compositions. The church becomes a setting shaped by cultural exchange.
Taking place during the month of Ramadan, the evening will be preceded by a traditional iftar for performers and invited guests at Hartwig Proxy. Ticketholders who observe Ramadan and wish to attend the iftar prior to the performance are kindly asked to contact us at producer.proxy[at]hartwigartfoundation.nl (limited availability).
Tarek Atoui is a French-Lebanese artist and electroacoustic composer working within the realm of sound performance and composition. He engineers complex and inventive instruments as well as arranges and curates interventions, concerts, performances, and workshops. His work often revolves around large-scale, collaborative performances that develop from extensive research into music history and instrumentation, while exploring new methods of production.
Using custom-built electronic instruments and computers, Atoui references current social and political realities, revealing music and new technologies as powerful aspects of expression and identity. Education and social connection are integral aspects of Atoui's Practice. Tarek Atoui lives and works in Paris, France.