Malek Gnaoui studied at the Ecole d’Art et de Décoration (EAD) in Tunis and continued his education at the Centre National de Céramique d’Art – Sidi Kacem Jelizi, also in Tunis. While a trained ceramist, Gnaoui advocates an interdisciplinary approach to art making. Ceramics often form the foundation of his material enquiry, which he then supplements with neon lighting, video, or sound, as a subversion of the discipline’s tradition. Exploring aspects of spirituality in popular imagery and custom, his practice foregrounds the figure of the sheep, particularly in relation to sacrificial rituals practiced in the Muslim faith. Within this motif, Gnaoui makes oblique reference to the act, evoked in series of ceramic knives, horns, or repurposed sheepskin.

Gnaoui has been exhibited widely in Tunisia, and further afield. Recent group exhibitions have taken place at B’chira Art Center in Sidi Thabet, Tunis; Centre National d’Art Vivant de Tunis in Tunis; and Galerie TALMART in Paris, France. Solo exhibitions have taken place at Selma Feriani Gallery in Tunis, among others.