EDEN

This exhibition project was born out of a residency call aimed at bringing together part of the graphic art collection from the Artothèque with the work of visual artists and printmakers.

After exploring the collection, the artist expressed a desire to continue his investigation, and soon, he discovered a rare gem—a book of art, an interpretation of Dante Alighieri's *Paradiso* from *The Divine Comedy*, illustrated by Salvador Dalí.

The richness of this interpretation, both graphic and plastic, as well as poetic and philosophical, inspired him to initiate an aesthetic dialogue and offer a personal interpretation of the work.

Thus, *EDEN* emerged from a meeting with an artist’s book. However, the concept of the artist’s book, along with the philosophical questions surrounding this theme, has long been a part of the artist’s research.

Mohamed ben Soltane is particularly interested in questions of memory, transmission, and intergenerational connections. Concepts like purity (whether it’s the purity of a line or the blank page), the artist as a transmitter, and the interrelation between the artist’s personal life and creative process have always been central to his approach.

This project is a continuation of that reflection, attempting to capture the mystical and poetic origins of creative inspiration.