Floèmee

| ˈfləʊɛm |

The plant tissue that transports the sugar produced during photosynthesis to the rest of the plant

The name chosen as a totem by the two musicians who make up the duo metaphorically symbolizes the blend of their two worlds: the digital side of the electronic layers by Spanish producer and composer Alex Recio, and the organic side of the voice and the Sétār, a traditional string instrument played by Iranian musician Nazanin Yalda.

Both coming from the classical sphere (piano for her at the Conservatory of Tehran and then Paris, composition and guitar for him at the Conservatory of Barcelona), they eventually crossed paths at the Conservatory of Brussels.

The fusion of their backgrounds and respective musical worlds gives birth to a new universe of soundscapes that blend the poetry of the Persian language with the harmonies of compositions featuring electronic textures, spanning the entire spectrum of genres: from ambient to techno, from trip-hop to IDM, from serene downtempo to more noisy distortions.

Hussein Shikha

Hussein Shikha’s practice betwixt design, art, and research engages with complex symbologies that reflect his heritage and family history —he comes from generations of workers engaged in the traffic and logistics of carpet-making— through equally complex pixel drawing. His work is a reaction to dominant Modernist canons that have discredited the visual cultures he was raised in. His work entails experimental film, animation, textile and interactive installations. Hussein takes the manipulation and transformation of the southern Iraqi carpet (with all its philosophies) as a starting point to understand art and design from Eastern and non-Eastern perspectives,examining possible shifts towards more inclusive and less Eurocentric perceptions of visual arts. He was born and raised in Iraq and moved to Flanders where he is currently based.

He holds a Master’s degree in Visual Arts from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp and an Advanced Master’s degree of Research in Art and Design at Sint Lucas Antwerp. Shikha’s work has been showcased at Nieuwe Instituut, Rotterdam; BAK, Utrecht; KIOSK, Ghent; and Kunsthal Extra City, Antwerp., and he has participated in residencies at Frans Masereel Centrum; Z33, Hasselt; and Morpho, Antwerp.