INTERVIEW Bettina Pelz
PUBLISHED 12 AUG 26
Jo-Ta’s artistic approach is interdisciplinary and rooted in VJ/video art, mixing hip-hop and punk energy with anthropology and environmental science. His work explores the link between ancestral knowledge and technology, using drawing, projection, experimental sound, and live video to build immersive pieces.
// How did you find the SEE DJERBA community? And why did you decide to join?
I met some members of the SEE DJERBA community at a video mapping festival in Lille, France, 2026. We exchanged contacts, and later, I came across the SEE DJERBA open call on Instagram. I decided to participate because I wanted to support an initiative, as well as contribute to culture and art in another country. At the same time, I was personally motivated by the opportunity to connect with Tunisia’s cultural context.
// What inspired you to embrace a hybrid practice rather than focus on a single medium?
Throughout my life, I have had different academic, empirical, and socio-cultural experiences. Working across different media is a way of bringing together my knowledge and expressing it in a form that is uniquely connected to who I am and to my own path.
// You studied Environmental Engineering and Visual and Media Anthropology, while developing your artistic practice as a self-taught artist. How have these different fields of knowledge shaped your understanding of what an artist can be, and what did you have to unlearn or redefine along the way?
Because these fields are different, I found a connection between them through human beings. This has led me to question and reflect on different aspects of life, starting from my own perspective as a person, and then translating those questions into artistic projects.
// You work with installation, exhibition, and performance formats as well as applied visual projects with brands and institutions. How do you navigate between artistic research and commissioned work?
Commercial work and artistic reflection feed into each other. At the moment, I separate these practices through two different projects: Formula Lumen, where I focus on commercial projects, and Jo-Ta, where I develop activities that involve artistic reflection or a different use of materials.
// Which moment of the creative process do you enjoy the most?
The moment I enjoy the most is when a project is confirmed and I can immediately start structuring all the information I already have, as well as what I need to gather, in order to begin. At the beginning, there is always a process of research, regardless of the type of project.
// Creating installations, performances, and visual projects for institutions. What has been the most challenging site or context you’ve worked in, and what did that experience change in your practice?
Sometimes institutions do not share the same philosophy or perspective that I have as a person. Unless it is an extreme case, depending on your own values and life context, I generally approach it as work, because you are not always going to agree with your boss or employer. However, I have been fortunate to work in contexts where there was trust in my practice. That trust gave me the freedom to make decisions about several aspects of the project, and that experience has reinforced the importance of having creative freedom within a collaboration.
// What is a good audience for you?
It is difficult to say when you are not there in person, but I think the enthusiasm of the people who invite you to present your work is a good indication of their interest, and that is very motivating. When I am there, I especially enjoy watching the children. They are the best audience.
// Please describe the work you will bring to SEE DJERBA. What is the core idea?
Hiper-Semilla
“Semilla” means “seed” in Spanish, while “Hiper-” comes from the Greek hypér (ὑπέρ), meaning, depending on the context, “above,” “beyond,” “excess,” or “more than normal.” For me, it refers to the world we live in today — everything seems to be hyperconnected, hyperactive, hyperdigital, constantly accelerating. But Hiper-Semilla also represents the beginning of something new: the emergence of a new era between dimensions. I see these dimensions as the real, the spiritual, and the digital. It is a beginning — a hyper-seed that is being cultivated, growing somewhere between these dimensions, and opening the possibility of something that has not yet fully taken shape.
// What were your thoughts when you saw this year’s theme “AKROS – From Encounter to Entanglement?
When I saw this year’s theme, I saw a strong idea and a strong project behind it. I was impressed by the commitment to the design and presentation, as well as the choice of location. The project itself is very interesting to me, and I felt that it was something I wanted to be part of.
// Do you think that your artwork contributes to the long-term project of decolonizing our mindsets?
Yes, without a doubt. The simple fact of being from Bolivia and having the opportunity and interest to present my work in a project that is neither in Europe nor in the USA already has a strong personal meaning for me. It challenges the idea that artistic opportunities, exchanges, and cultural encounters have to happen within those established centers. That personal experience also gives me a sense of satisfaction that is reflected in and shared with my community.
// In a region where art scenes are often described in terms of “emergence” or “renewal,” how do you position yourself: as part of a Tunisian scene, a North African network, or a more global contemporary field?
I position myself through the idea of liberating the path — the path of life, experienced in the present. I don’t necessarily see myself as belonging to a specific artistic scene or geographical network. At the same time, I do feel connected to the VJ scene, which has been an important part of my artistic journey. I see my practice as part of a continuous journey, shaped by the places, people, and experiences I encounter along the way.
// We would be so happy to see you in Djerba. Will you manage to come?
Yes, I would love to come, and I hope I can do it next year!
// We will be more than happy to start discussing with you how we can get you here! Thank you so much for this year’s contribution.