Born in 1996 to a Tunisian father and a French mother, Chams Barkaoui grew up in Haute-Savoie and graduated from ESAD Grenoble in 2020. They are currently based in Marseille.
Chams Barkaoui uses a variety of mediums—writing, performance, meditation, installation, and sound—to take on the role of a storyteller. Their performance “Fousssana” was presented in 2025 at the Frac Sud, the Ballet National de Marseille, and La Villette in Paris, among other venues. Their writing has been published in various magazines (Censored Magazine, Woman Journal) and in Myriam Bahaffou’s debut book, “Des paillettes sur le compost,” published in 2022 by Le Passager Clandestin. In 2024 and 2025, Chams Barkaoui was an artist-in-residence at Artagon Marseille. In 2026, they were an artist-in-residence at Mouhit Space in Tunis, marking their first foray into the Tunisian cultural scene. In addition, they are collaborating with Inès Geoffroy (curator and exhibition director at La Villette) and Amenallah Atrous (performance artist and director) on a carte blanche project for Le Générateur in Gentilly as part of the Jerk Off festival. At the same time, they are participating in two research groups: one led by Ariella Aïsha Azoulay focusing on the ruins of the Jewish-Muslim world, and the other led by Myriam Bahaffou focusing on the struggles and lives of racialized queer people.
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