amina ben ismail (b. 1995) is a tunisian artist based between london and tunis. she studied anthropology and visual arts (bowdoin college, ME) and in theatre (actors studio, NY),

her work explores the politics of food and drink through the intertwined histories of tunisian, arab, and irish popular cultures—foregrounding the value of what they share: generosity, conviviality, humour, and joy.

Formally, she is drawn to imperfection and spontaneity: irregular compositions, loose, gestural shapes, and the emotional immediacy of bold colour. Working primarily with oil pastels and acrylics, she often references the texture and palette of art naïf to imbue her pieces with a sense of honesty, intimacy, and play.

Her work is rooted in the belief that art can—and should—be tender, open, and unpretentious. Against the isolating logic of late capitalism, where efficiency and self-interest dominate, she seeks to depict and create spaces that invites us to slow down, gather, and remember that joy, too, is a form of dissent.