Screening followed by discussion with filmmaker Meriem Bennani. Tickets are free for SAIC and UChicago students with valid ID.

“Bennani has become known for…an inquisitive, antic humor that can encompass gimlet-eyed political observations.” Sasha Weiss, New York Times

In her genre-bending and often absurdly funny videos, Rabat-born, New York–based artist Meriem Bennani fuses the languages of reality television, social media, and 3D animation to explore such weighty topics as biopolitics, virtuality, and globalism. In conjunction with the exhibition of her latest film Life on the CAPS at the Renaissance Society at the University of Chicago, Bennani presents a selection of related works. Party on the CAPS (2018) and Guided Tour of a Spill (2021) introduce viewers to a speculative future where teleportation has replaced air travel and a small island in the Atlantic is a creolized megacity populated by detained migrants. 2 Lizards (2020), her collaboration with filmmaker Orian Barki, chronicles the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic as it unfolded in real time. Originally released bi-weekly on Instagram, the series captures the surreality of lockdown and the growing social fissures exacerbated by systemic inequities and racism. This event will have real-time captions (CART). 

Presented in partnership with the Renaissance Society, in conjunction with the exhibition Meriem Bennani, on view February 26 to April 17, and the Open Practice Committee in the Department of Visual Arts at the University of Chicago.


Festivals, Awards, & Nominations

2019 Whitney Biennial
Museum of Modern Art, New York
Biennale of Moving Images, Turin


About the artist

A Moroccan woman with dark black hair pulled back in a tight braid wearing a khaki colored jacket and hoop earrings looking directly at the camera.

Photo: Sunny Shokrae.

Spanning video, sculpture, multimedia installation, drawing, and social media, Meriem Bennani’s often satiric and humorous works draw from globalized popular culture and Moroccan history. Solo exhibitions of her work have been held at C L E A R I N G, Brooklyn; The Kitchen, New York; Fondation Louis Vuitton, Paris; Art Dubai; MoMA PS1, New York; and SIGNAL, Brooklyn. Her work has also been featured in numerous group exhibitions, including the Whitney Biennial, New York; Biennale de l’Image en Mouvement, Geneva/Turin; Public Art Fund, New York; Shanghai Biennale; Jewish Museum, New York; Saatchi Gallery, London; MANA Contemporary, New Jersey; and Palais de Tokyo, Paris. Bennani’s work is part of the collections of the Guggenheim Museum, New York; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris; Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain, Paris; Kadist, Paris; and FRAC Ile-de-France, Paris.


We require proof of full vaccination for all screenings and events at the Film Center. See our full COVID-19 policy and details below. 

COVID-19 SAFETY PROTOCOLS