The palm tree is one of the oldest plant species and is adaptable to a wide range of climates. The installation La Conférence des Palmiers is made up of a series of ceramic sculptures of dead palm trees. The title refers to La Conférence des oiseaux, a Persian poem written by Farid al-Din Attär in 1177. Like migratory birds, the palm trees in this piece suggest displacement, imported exoticism, the “something extra” that has settled in our countries over the years.

This work by Mehdi-Georges Lahlou is based on the representation of this plant in the collective imagination, which suggests the exotic, an oasis. Here, the image of a dead palm tree also evokes deforestation and the effects of globalisation.