Mohamed Sleiman Labat is a multidisciplinary artist, filmmaker and writer who was born and is based in the Sahrawi refugee camps in southwest Algeria. As part of his visit to Penn State in April 2025, he will be hosting the installation and exhibition of a traditional Sahrawi communal tent on the University Park campus. The tent has been the primary dwelling for the Sahrawi, it provided an ideal structure for their past nomadic lifestyle, and currently, as refugees, it functions both as a space for communal living and shared meals, and as a crucial refuge in the harsh desert environment. Sleiman Labat, native to this community and still residing in one such tent, collaborated with women in the refugee camps who designed and hand-sewed the tent by gathering everyday clothes and stories that held them. During the exhibition, there will be an opportunity during the exhibition to participate in a traditional tea ceremony.

Sleiman Labat’s visit is supported in part by the Penn State School of Visual Arts’ John M. Anderson Endowment in the College of Arts and Architecture, the College of Arts and Architecture Sustainability Council, Penn State Sustainability, and ArtsAction Group (AAG), an international artist collective.

Community Art Tent Installation and Exhibition – April 22-25

Immersive Environments Lab, Stuckeman Family Building

Tuesday, April 22, 3 – 5 p.m.: Volunteers invited to participate in tent installation
Tuesday, April 22, 5 – 7 p.m.: Exhibition opening with Labat in attendance
Tuesday and Wednesday, April 23-24, 10 a.m.- 5 p.m.: Exhibition open to the public
Thursday, April 25, 10 a.m.- noon: Tea ceremony at tent, followed by tent disassembly and participatory performative walk to Earth Day celebration at Ross Student Farm at Penn State

For more information about his visit, contact Ann Holt, aeh227@psu.edu.