CV

Short Biography

Elma Riza is a French-Tunisian artist. She studied at the Beaux-Arts de Nantes (2005-2007), then continued her studies at the School of Fine Arts in Berlin to graduate with honors in 2012. She regularly presents her work at festivals and exhibitions.
She has had five solo exhibitions: R17*_ Experimental Zone Berlin (2025), STRouX Berlin (2023), Galerie weisser elefant (2020), La Boîte _ Un lieu d’Art Contemporain Tunis (2018), Kunstverein Neukölln (2017). She obtained for her video “When a Line goes for a Walk” the female voice award, during the Berlin Minute Festival in September 2022. And for a first fiction short film “Trois Femmes”, she has won two awards at the Bestlov Film Festival & Berlin Shorts Festival (2023).
Her work takes shape in different media such as video, performance, photography, installation and drawing. Her research revolves around the notion of landscape, from ecological, feminist, anthropological and poetic perspectives. She questions our relationship with the urban, everyday or so-called “natural/wild” landscape. To this end, she addresses the issue of the boundary that defines our spaces and the relationship between elements, between interior and exterior spaces, between the familiar and the foreign, between the real and the imaginary, between humans and the environment.

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CV

Elma Riza

French-Tunisian visual artist, born in Lilas (Ile de France) in 1986, settled in Berlin since 2007 and works between Berlin, Paris and Tunis.

  • Since 2023 Artist-member of fair share for women artists e.V. 
  • Since 2022 she is part of the Sudden Starlings Collective
  • Since 2020 she is part of the collectiv Les actionnaires
  • Since 2020 Second studio in the Uckermark (Pian – Fürstenberg/Havel).
  • Since 2019 she has her studio in Kunstquartier Bethanien Berlin (Achtung Studio K43)
  • 2019 -2020 Artist-member of the Frauen Museum Berlin
  • Since 2018 member of the BBK _ Berufsverband bildender Künstler*innen Berlin e.V.
  • Since 2018 she is artist member of La Boîte _ Un lieu d’art contemporain Tunis
  • Since 2015 she is artist member of the gallery asterisk * Berlin
  • 2014-2019 she has set up an experimental platform for interdisciplinary instant composition, “Imprévu Berlin”.
  • 2011-2014 she directed the KOLLEKTIVTRANSIT (Musiktheater & Tanztheater) with Benedikt Bindewald
  • 2007-2010 she created and managed with Olja Koslova the artist group ORT-Berlin & anderswo

STUDIES & TRAININGS

  • 2012  Diploma with honors (equivalent to a master) from the Kunsthochschule Weißensee Berlin–KHB
  • 2010-2021 Workshops with various choreographers and performers (Jean-Jacques Sanchez, Eva Burghardt, Akemi Nagao, Barbara Berti, Yuko Kaseki, Rosalind Crisp, Bettina Neuhaus, “Bilwa” Costa and Jasmin Schaitl…)
  • 2008 – 2012 Kunsthochschule higher education college in Berlin
  • 2005 – 2007 Beaux-Arts higher education college in Nantes, France
  • 2004 – 2005 Beaux-Arts education college in Rueil Malmaison – Ile de France

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2025 “Arbeitsschichten”, an evolving and participatory installation / R17 Experimental Zone

2023 “What’s remain” / STRouX Berlin

2020 “Logique d’Espaces” / galerie weisser elefant (Kunstraum Mitte) Berlin

2018 “Suivez la ligne” / La Boîte_ Un Lieu d’Art Contemporain Tunis

2016 Perspectives – Raumenerkundung V / Kunstverein Neukölln, Berlin

GROUP EXHIBITIONS / VIDEO FESTIVALS

2025

  • Collective exhibition “Horizonte” / Kunstverein Neukölln Berlin
  • Collective exhibition, “Queer & Pose”, Immanuelkirchstraße 14a. 10405 Berlin
  • Exhibition ERbeLEBEN Urbane Künste / Klosterruine Berlin
  •  Video screening of ‘A travers les chemins’ as part of the ‘Capitalocène’ event organised by Les Sorores / Carbone, Aubervilliers, France

2024

  • “A Letter for a Friend”, Group exhibition / Bacio Gallery, Bern, Switzerland
  • Screening of the video “Aïn”, as part of Altering Tensions – Parking Video Library, curated by Amirali Ghasemi, in frame of the Other Side Festival in Vantaa, Finland
  • Selection of the short film “Trois Femmes” at London Women’s Film Festival (Semi-finalist)
  • “Three Women” is selected for the short film festival Dar Masrahi Bardo, Tunisia
  • VER_ORTEN, videos & photos exhibition des Sudden Starlings Collective in Frame of Tanzlandschaft Brandenburg / fabrik Café Potsdam
  • Exhibition and final presentation of the VER_ORTEN project in cooperation with the Sudden Starlings collective / TANZWERK Werder
  • Selection of the short film “Trois Femmes” at FIFOG, Geneva International Oriental Film Festival
  • Video screening of “When a Line goes for a Walk” as part of the event “KREATIVITÄT DER LANGSAMKEIT” / GISELA – Freierkunstraum Lichtenberg

2023

  • Video screening GRUNDstück & INDESSEN with the Sudden Starlings Collective in frame of the festival Made in Potsdam 2023: Film & Choreografie I & II / Fabrik Potsdam
  • Film screening from the documentary Des Femmes Artistes en Tunisie / ISAM Gabès & University of Gabès, Tunisia
  • Screening of the video “Aïn” at Video Art Miden screenings at Primarolia festival, Patras (GR)
  • Screening of the documentary “Des femmes Artistes en Tunisie” / La Boîte _ Un Lieu d’Art Contemporain, Tunis
  • Screening of the video “”INDESSEN”, a co-production with the Sudden Starlings Collective at the Symposium STATE OF THE ART, Eisenhüttenstadt
  • Selection of the short film “Trois Femmes” at the short film festival Golden Bridge, Istanbul
  • Screening of the short film “Trois Femmes” at the short film festival Cinémana Tunis
  • Collectiv exhibition KUNST & STADT, raum on demand / Alte Münze Berlin
  • Screening of the video “Aïn” at Attaquer le visible _ VIDEOAKTION#4 / Raum für Drastische Maßnahmen, Berlin
  • Screening of the video “Aïn” at Video Art Miden Festival, Thessaloniki, Greece
  • Collectiv exhibition “Prix Jeunes Artistes” / TGM Gallery Tunis
  • Preview of the short film “Trois Femmes” in collaboration with Myriam Riza and Anaïs Production Tunis / L’Agora Marsa, Tunisia
  • Screening of the video “Aïn” at the video exhibition K-OFF / Festival Gabès Cinéma Fen 5ème édition, Tunisia
  • Screening of the video “Aïn” at SORORES- ECOFEMINIST FESTIVAL / Un lieu pour respirer, France
  • Photo group exhibition “Proceate Project Archive” / Ovada, Oxford, United Kingdom

2022

  • Group Exhibition “HAK Lab The nominees for the art award of the Haus am Kleistpark 2022 exhibit”, as part of the intervention galerie asterisk * by Christina Stark / Haus am Kleispark Berlin
  • Berlin Minute Festival at Lichtblick Kino Berlin
  • Group exhibition “Figur & Grund” / Video presentation at Kunstverein KunstHaus Potsdam
  • Group exhibition “Movement – Space and Boundaries” with Kuesti Fraun & Irina Novarese in the showcase of the Heinrich Böll Library. An exhibition curated by Vanessa Cardui / Kustraum Fuge part of the Art Spring Festival Berlin

2021

  • „Von innen nach außen – Kunstfilme im Fenster“ / Kap.8 Münster
  • “Wandern – Bewegen – Vermessen – Verorten” an exhibition with the Frauen Museum Berlin at the Galerie Alte Brennerei – Kunstverein Ebersberg e.V
  • FRÜHJAHRPUTZMANIFEST, a duo exhibition with Laure Catugier at the ReTramp Gallery Berlin
  • IMMER WENN ES DUNKEL WIRD, screening video with Les actionnaires at Gmünder Kunstverein, Schwäbisch Gmünd – Germany

2020

  • “How to make a bee-line”, duo exhibition & collaboration with Petra Gell / Galerie Philomena+ Wien
  • “Logique d’Espaces”, solo exhibition / galerie weisser elefant Berlin

2019

  • “Sculptures Filaires” site specific sculptures for the building of KILANI group Tunis
  • “Verschiebung der Räume”, duo exhibition with Aurélie Pertusot / Pavillon am Milchhof Berlin

2018

  • “Max Artists: 1 room 8 spaces” / Collective exhibition / Max Liebermann Haus Berlin
  • Les Recombinants / Foire internationale d´Art contemporain de Marseille
  • Species of Spaces – Golden Fragments / Collective exhibition / Luisa Catucci Gallery Berlin

2017

  • On a clear Day ? / collective exhibition / Kunsthaus Essen
  • Überraschung #2! / collective exhibition / Kunstverein Neukölln
  • „Espèces d‘Espaces” / collective exhibition / Galerie Luisa Catucci Berlin

2014-2016

  • Lines_One day exhibition by Elma Riza / Kreuzberg Pavillon, Berlin
  • “Between the Lines”, performance exhibition / gallery asterisk * Berlin
  • ORT-Berlin & anderswo / Galerie La Traverse, Marseille
  • Draw to perform 3 – Symposium / Crows Nest Gallery, London

PERFORMANCES & INTERVENTIONS (selection)

2025 BLACK GRAVEL _ performance installation with Eric Wong, Jessica Gaynor, Akemi Nagao / International Theater Institut Berlin

2024 SPUREN/TRACES – participatory walks with the Sudden Starlings Collective and 101concrete Company in frame of the KUNST & KLIMA FESTIVAL / fabrik Potsdam

2022 LAB with Les actionnaires in frame of Festival “Vakuum – gegen leeren Straßen”, Europacity Berlin

2022 “LAB” with Les actionnaires in frame of the exhibition “Sensing the city” at Zwitschermaschine Berlin

2021 Performative installation “EXTENDED BLUE” with Mireia Argaonès & Eric Wong at YOUKALI ganz.kultur Brandenburg

2021 “LAB” with Les actionnaires /  Performance Art Festival #5, event organized by Gemelos2000 – Tempelhof Berlin

2019 “Promenades Linéaires” duo Performance with Aurélie Pertusot / Pavillon am Milchhof Berlin

2019 “Tentatives à la Limite _ Yellow!” solo performance with live video composition by Rubèn Gonzales / Performance Art Festival #5, event organized by Gemelos2000 / BcmA Gallery Berlin

2018 “Paysage Filaire” solo performance-installation / La Boîte_Un Lieu d’Art Contemporain Tunis

2018 “Monochrome” ephemeral sculptures, sound Eric Wong / Lake Studios Berlin

2018 “Concerto pour 100 rondelles, concept Aurélie Pertusot / in frame of the exhibition opening “Way Trough” by Pascal Brateau / Rosengarten Treptow Berlin

2016 “OVERLAPS IN AND OUT” solo Performance / Kunstverein Neukölln

2017 “MOVEMENTOGRAPHY” solo Performance / Kunsthaus Essen & Kreuzberg Pavillon

2017 “Golden Fragements” solo performance – Live site specific sculptures / Luisa Catucci Gallery Berlin

2016 “PLAYGROUND#2” solo performance – installation, sound by Klaus Janek / Mime Centrum Berlin

2016 “IN BETWEEN” performative – installation with Aurélie Pertusot und Akemi Nagao / TCRM – Blida Metz, France

2016 “EXTENDED BLUE” performative – installation with Mireia Argaonès & Eric Wong / Festival NAH DRAN / ada Studio Berlin

2016 “ “EXTENDED BLUE” performative – installation with Mireia Argaonès & Eric Wong / SPACE/TIME Festival  / Flutgraben Berlin

2016 “Story of Shapes” solo performance, sound by Gisbert Schürig  / Les Spectacles Sauvages” / Le Regard du Cygne, Paris

2016 “EXTENDED BLUE” performative installation with Mireia Argaonès & Eric Wong / Nun Art  Barcelona, Spain

2015 BETWEEN THE LINES #5 solo performance, sound by Gisbert Schürig (Video Screening) / Festival Improvisation Xchange / EDEN-Dock11, Berlin

2015 “BETWEEN THE LINES #4” solo performance, sound by Gisbert Schürig / ACUD Galerie Berlin

2015 “BETWEEN THE LINES #4” solo performance, sound by Gisbert Schürig /„60 minutes evening“, event organized by Impro Per Arts. / Mime Centrum Berlin

2014 “IN BETWEEN” with Aurélie Pertusot und Akemi Nagao / Mime Centrum Berlin

2014 “BETWEEN THE LINES #4” solo Performance / Atelier Real Lisboa

2014 “Playground #1” solo performance, sound by Klaus Janek / Festival NAH DRAN / ada Studio Berlin

2014 “BETWEEN THE LINES #2″ im Rahmen der Ausstellung “Vom Körper auf Papier” / Galerie Fahrrad Büro Berlin

2011-2014 Performances with the KOLLEKTIVTRANSIT (BLO Atelier, Rathaus Schöneberg, Acker Stadt Palast, HAU2…)

RESIDENCIES 

  • 2023 – STRouX Berlin, Germany
  • 2023 – raum on demand, Alte Münze, Berlin, Germany
  • 2022 – DiR Residency Brandenburg, Potsdam, Germany
  • 2022 – Dar Hi Nefta, Tunisia
  • 2020 – Philomena+ Wien, Austria
  • 2017 – Kunsthaus Essen, Germany
  • 2016 & 2017 – Nun Art  Barcelona, Spain
  • 2016 – TCRM-Blida Metz, France
  • 2014 – Atelier REAL Lisboa, Portugal

FELLOWSHIPS

AWARDS

  • Award Winner Best First Time Short “Trois Femmes” at Berlin Shorts Award, 2024
  • Award Winner “Trois Femmes” at the Bestlov Film Festival, 2024
  • Female voice award – Berlin Minute Festival, 2022

PUBLICATIONS

  • Logique d’Espaces, exhibition catalogue, galerie weisser elefant, 2020
  • REFLECTION, brochure exhibition, Milchhof Pavillon, 2020
  • From line to space_Elma Riza 2014-2019, Leaflet, self production, 2019
  • Max Artist in Residence, Project catalogue, Stiftung Brandenburger Tor Berlin, 2017/2018
  • De la ligne à l’espace_Elma Riza 2014-2018, leaflet, self production, 2018
  • Raumerkundung I-V, exhibition catalogue, Kunstverein Neukölln, 2017
  • On a clear Day?, exhibition catalogue, Kunsthaus Essen, 2017
  • Max Artist in Residence, project catalogue, Stiftung Brandenburger Tor Berlin, 2016/2017

VIDEOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY

  • 2024 “A Travers les chemins”, 9min.05 (video) // direction, camera, editing
  • 2024 “Out of the Green”, 18 min. 19 (video) // A production by the Sudden Starlings Collective // Camera, editing
  • 2023 ” Before the Skycrapers”, 2 min.26 (video) // direction, editing
  • “Trois Femmes”, 19 min. 43 (first short fiction film) produced by Anaïs Production Tunis // direction
  • 2023 “Des Femmes Artistes en Tunisie”, 29 min. 43 (documentary) produced by LayLay_IMAGES // Camera, direction, editing
  • 2022 “Aïn”, 10 min. 42 (video) // direction, editing
  • 2022 “GRUNDstück” 13 min. 07 (video) // A production by the Sudden Starlings Collective // Camera, editing
  • 2021 “When a line goes for a walk”, 4 min. 30 (video) // Camera, direction, editing
  • 2021 “FRÜHJAHRPUTZMANIFEST”, 11 min. 46 (video) // A collaboration with Laure Catugier
  • 2020 “La Traversée” 6 min. (video) // Camera, direction, editing
  • 2020 “How to make a bee-line”, 9min32 (video) // Camera, direction, editing
  • 2020 “Golden Fragments”, 12min16 (video) // direction, editing
  • 2019 “Vue du ciel”, 9min35 (video installation) // Camera, direction, editing
  • 2015 “Playground”, 15min.16 (video) // director, editor
  • 2015 “Between The Lines #5”, 13min07 (video) // director, camera, editing
  • 2014 “The Living Library”, 5min14 (video) / direction, camera, editing
  • 2014 “L’île Saturne_La chute de Téphras”, Kollektivtransit Berlin, 53min35 (music dance advisor film – silent film with live music) // director, camera, editing
  • 2012 “Two days before night”, 25min50 (experimental fiction, diploma project) // director, camera, editing
  • 2012 “Grüne Stücke”, 9min10 (video) // director, camera, editing
  • 2011 “Once Upon a Time in the Blue East”, 9min48 (video dance) // director, camera, editing
  • 2010 “Des champs vides”, 2min.59 (video) // director, camera, editing
  • 2009 “Présences”, 1min03 (experimental fiction) // director, camera, editing
  • 2008 “Further than all similar places”, 5min37 (video) // Director, Camera, Editing
  • 2010 “Couleurs d’une ville”, 3min21 (video) // director, camera, editing
  • 2007 “Aniba_Acte V”, 3min51 (video) // director, camera, editing
  • 2006 “Week-End”, 3min55 (video) // director, editor
  • 2005 “L’Opéra des quat’fous”, 10min22 (video) // director, camera, editor

WORKSHOPS – LABS (selection)

  • ATELIERISTA – Module 2 & 7, further training for educators at FRÖBEL AKADEMIE Berlin, 2025
  • Workshop with Susanne Soldan at the Marc Twain Library, as part of the Berlin International Literature Festival
  • Workshop DANCE & FILM with Eva Burghardt & Elma Riza in frame of BEGEGNUNG IN BEWEGUNG at TANZWERK Werder (Havel)
  • Workshops with pupils from different schools and presentation of the project Urbane Künste ERbeLEBEN 2025 / Klosterruine Berlin
  • Mind the Gap”, 5 days of workshops with the students of John-Lennon Gymnasium Berlin, led by Elma Riza & Susanne Soldan, organised by Urbane Künste ERbeLEBEN, 2025
  • KUNSTWERKSTATT, regular workshops with the FRÖBEL children from Kita Traumzauberbaum Berlin, 2025
  • Workshop “My city, forgotten and lost places”, further training for educators in Frankfurt (Oder), 2025
  • Online workshops KREATIV-Lunch for FRÖBEL Deutschland educators, 2025
  • Weekly workshops for FRÖBEL in Frankfurter (Oder), 2023/25
  • Workshop “TAPE ART” at the Carl Borsch Schule Frohnau, 2023/24
  • Participatory Project “VER_ORTEN” with the Sudden Stralings collective in TANZWERK Werder, 2024
  • ‘KUNST STATION’ at the summer party for volunteers from FRÖBEL, Berlin, 2024
  • Workshop “Framing the city”, dance and video, with Eva Burghardt & Susanne Soldan, Fabrik Potsdam, 2023
  • Workshops for children “Labyrinth & Imaginäre Räume” & “Vom Blatt Papier zur Raum_Imaginäre Landschaft” / Young Arts Neukölln, 2020
  • Workshop “Composer dans l’espace” with the employees of the company TERIAK Laboratories Tunisia, 2019
  • Workshop “Initiation to abstraction, composition & Improvisation” with the students of the International Scholl of Düsseldorf, 2019
  • Art workshops for primary schools / Young Arts Neukölln, 2019
  • 2019-2020 Bauhaus RaumLabor / Jugend im Museum e.V. (Workshops in Kitas / Co-project Leitung), 2019
  • Experiment Raum für Kinder & Eltern / every month in Kunstquartier Bethanien, 2019
  • Workshop “Dessiner dans l’espace” with the employees of the company KILANI Group Tunis, 2018
  • Workshops in frame of the program MAX – ARTISTS IN RESIDENZ AN SCHULEN organized by  Stiftung Brandenburger Tor, 2016 -2018
  • Atelier Lab – “When Visuel Art meet Instant Composition”/ Elma Riza’s Atelier & Kunstquartier Bethanien, 2017-2020
  • Workshop “Performativ Prozess – Space/Object and Body” with the students of the Duisburg-Essen University in Kunsthaus Essen, 2017
  • ZOOM LABOR with Elma Riza – “Performance-Installation” workshops Serie / Mime Centrum Berlin, 2015-17