Tarik Sadouma

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Tarik Sadouma in his Unsafe House.jpg
Tarik Sadouma
Born1979 (age 45–46)
Amsterdam, Netherlands
NationalityDutch, Egyptian
Occupation(s)Artist, curator
Known forKIRAC, co-founder of The Unsafe House

Tarik Sadouma (born 1979 Amstersam) [1] is a Dutch-Egyptian conceptual artist, curator, and performer. He is a co-founder of the Amsterdam-based art collective The Unsafe House and a former member of the controversial art group Keeping It Real Art Critics (KIRAC). His work explores cultural identity, mythology, religion, power, and ritual through multimedia installations and performance.

Contents

Biography

Sadouma was born in Amsterdam and spent part of his youth in Egypt. [2] He studied at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam, graduating with honors (cum laude). [3]

Career

KIRAC

Sadouma was a key contributor to the Amsterdam-based video art collective *Keeping It Real Art Critics* (KIRAC). He appeared in films, paintings, and performance works, and helped shape its visual language. His artworks, such as Carnaball, Police Slate, and Soscrackn’alien, were featured in the collective's curated online gallery. [4]

He left KIRAC in 2021 following disagreements over a film involving French writer Michel Houellebecq. [5]

"Albert Heijn becomes Allah"

In 2006, Sadouma and Bastiaan Franken, working under the name TABA 79, staged the installation Albert Heijn wordt Allah ("Albert Heijn becomes Allah"). [6] The project temporarily converted a vacant Dutch supermarket into a mosque during Ramadan. The iconic AH logo was altered to resemble the Arabic script for "Allah". Critics and commentators debated whether the project was sincere, provocative, or both. *Tubelight* framed it as a commentary on commercial space, faith, and artistic provocation. [6]

A report in *de Volkskrant* quoted Sadouma describing the work as a "social experiment in branding, faith and surveillance." [7]

Other works

Sadouma's installation NikeTown 2, presented by Platform21, reimagined a sneaker transforming into a cityscape and back again, commenting on urban capitalism and brand architecture. [2]

Another noted work is Donkey Table Cairo 2007, a mixed-media sculpture made of wood, lacquer, donkey skin, and lace. [4]

The Unsafe House

In 2021, Sadouma co-founded The Unsafe House, a multidisciplinary collective based in Amsterdam. He is referred to within the group as its “spiritual leader”. [8] His artistic direction shapes the collective's work, which blends fairy-tale motifs, mythology, and political aesthetics.

In a 2025 interview in FeltenINK, Sadouma discussed his upbringing, personal philosophy, and the goals of The Unsafe House. [9]

Media and public commentary

Sadouma has appeared in The Unsafe Podcast, discussing topics ranging from personal history to political aesthetics. [10] A controversial 2023 interview on the Dutch site GeenStijl addressed his religious critiques, his relationship to Islam, and the symbolism of the AH/Allah project. [11]

Reception

Sadouma's work has been described as provocative and transgressive. Spike Art Magazine labeled him a “puckish painter” in the context of the 2026 Venice Biennale proposal with Curtis Yarvin and The Unsafe House. [12]

His involvement in politically charged art projects has also been noted in ARTnews and Artnet, which discussed his role in the rise of "dark enlightenment" aesthetics and right-wing counter-narratives in contemporary art. [13]

References

  1. ↑ "Nike Town". Casco Art Institute. 19 April 2022. Retrieved 21 October 2025.
  2. 1 2 "Tarik Sadouma – Platform21" . Retrieved 2025-10-16.
  3. ↑ "Tarik Sadouma – The Unsafe House" . Retrieved 2025-10-16.
  4. 1 2 "KIRAC Space" . Retrieved 2025-10-16.
  5. ↑ "Conflict in KIRAC over Houellebecq project – KIRAC site" . Retrieved 2025-10-16.
  6. 1 2 "Albert Heijn wordt Allah – Tubelight" . Retrieved 2025-10-16.
  7. ↑ "Albert Heijn becomes Allah for Ramadan – de Volkskrant" . Retrieved 2025-10-16.
  8. ↑ "About The Unsafe House" . Retrieved 2025-10-16.
  9. ↑ "Tarik Sadouma Interviewed at The Unsafe House – FeltenINK" . Retrieved 2025-10-16.
  10. ↑ "Tarik Sadouma Interviewed by Sina Khani – YouTube" . Retrieved 2025-10-16.
  11. ↑ "Tarik Sadouma on Islam, Death Culture, and Art – GeenStijl" . Retrieved 2025-10-16.
  12. ↑ "How to Defile the Venice Biennale – Spike Art Magazine" . Retrieved 2025-10-16.
  13. ↑ "The Dark Enlightenment Art World – Artnet" . Retrieved 2025-10-16.


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