TOULON: Art – ESADTPM at the Heart of the « Une Relève Méditerranéenne » Project
The Toulon art school hosts artist Loutfi Souidi in residency and sees its graduate Alexia Croset selected for a major project.
The Toulon art school hosts artist Loutfi Souidi in residency and sees its graduate Alexia Croset selected for a major project. The École Supérieure d’Art et de Design Toulon Provence Méditerranée (esadtpm) asserts itself as a central player in contemporary creation by actively participating in the « Une Relève Méditerranéenne » project. This major initiative is materialized by hosting Moroccan artist Loutfi Souidi in residency from April 13 to May 20, 2026, and by selecting Alexia Croset, a young graduate of the school, among the winners of a major collective exhibition in Marseille. A double event that highlights the dynamism of the young art scene from both shores of the Mediterranean.
An artistic bridge between the two shores
« Une Relève Méditerranéenne » is an ambitious collaborative project, born within the framework of the Saison Méditerranée 2026. Supported by the association Parallèle and the L’École(s) du Sud network in cooperation with the MIRAMAR network, it aims to build sustainable links between young artists and cultural institutions around the Mediterranean. The culmination of this dialogue will be a transdisciplinary collective exhibition held from May 21 to August 9, 2026, on the 5th plateau of the Friche la Belle de Mai in Marseille. Sixteen emerging artists, eight from the Northern shore and eight from the Southern shore, will present their works there. The selection notably includes Mahdi Oussama, Maeva Pillon, Fella Tamzali, Houssem Harrak, Loutfi Souidi, and Alexia Croset. Curator Soukaina Aboulaoula, an independent researcher based in Marrakech, was chosen to orchestrate this meeting.
“This project is an opportunity to show how young Mediterranean artists are reinventing narratives and forms, drawing on their heritages while looking towards the future,” explains Soukaina Aboulaoula.
Loutfi Souidi, the recycling alchemist in residency
A graduate of the Institut National des Beaux-Arts de Tétouan, Loutfi Souidi (born in 1994) is a sculptor whose work has already been noticed in prestigious institutions like the Musée Mohammed VI. He will settle for nearly six weeks at the Beaux-Arts de La Seyne-sur-Mer and at the esadtpm. His approach, both poetic and political, transforms everyday objects into hybrid works. For this residency, he will focus on aluminum cans, a symbol of the overconsumption society. His goal is to metamorphose them into sculptures evoking membranes or quasi-living organisms.
“I want to create shapes that blur the boundaries between natural and artificial. Working with aluminum to make them almost living entities is to question our relationship with matter and the environment, but also our ability to see beauty in what we discard,” confides the artist.
Alexia Croset, a local young graduate on the rise
Freshly graduated from the esadtpm in 2024, Alexia Croset represents the local young artistic guard. Her selection for the exhibition at the Friche la Belle de Mai is an important recognition of her work. Currently in an artistic residency at the parc national de Port-Cros, the young woman sees in this project a unique opportunity to confront her universe with that of other creators and to make herself known to a wider public.
“This project is an incredible opportunity to engage in a dialogue with artists from both shores of the Mediterranean and to introduce my universe to the Marseille public,” shares Alexia Croset.
Her path illustrates the vocation of the esadtpm to train and support tomorrow's talents on the regional and international art scene.
Structured support for young creation
Beyond the exhibition, « Une Relève Méditerranéenne » constitutes a real support journey for the winners. The program includes logistical and financial support, exchange times with the curator to build a collective reflection, as well as networking with the ecosystems of partner art schools (Marseille, Nice, Arles, Aix-en-Provence, etc.). Meetings and workshops will also be organized to foster dialogue with the public. The project benefits from the support of committed partners such as the Institut français, the DRAC PACA, and the Friche la Belle de Mai.
Article written from a press release transmitted to the editorial staff