For The Showroom’s Annual Mural Commission 2024-25 French-born Moroccan artist Nassim Azarzar offers a reflection into the nature of migration explored through the lens of transnational experience.
Hayat al Noujoum / La vie des étoiles constellates visual and aural elements, combining the artist’s distinct painterly style with a sound installation of oral testimonies of personal migratory experiences from the Church Street Ward, at the heart of London’s Westminster borough, and the wider community.
Expanding his practice from painting to sound, Azarzar attempts to chart the effects of migration from different perspectives; documenting his conversations with various individuals and inviting others to give voice to these through studio recordings. Through this process, he examines the nature of displaced identities and culture blending among communities, unveiling multiple layers of personal experience. Azarzar’s interest in the subject is deeply rooted in his background as a French-born child of Moroccan parents. His relationship with the notion of home and belonging resonates with a deep complexity that many of us can relate to.
The work is conceived as a living, breathing artwork that echoes the community’s diverse voices, woven into the very fabric of the building as a sonic experience. In the artist’s words, ‘Murals are typically seen, but this project for The Showroom also aims to make people’s voices heard through sound. Their voices express personal relationships to identity, belonging, and integration and are reshaped in collaboration with sound artists to activate The Showroom’s facade throughout the year.’
At its core, the work is a testament to the power of collaboration. Led by the artist with participants connected to The Showroom neighbourhood and beyond, this collective effort culminates in the fifth iteration of the Showroom Annual Mural Commission, transforming the building from summer 2024 to summer 2025.
