Europe

Mohamed Bourouissa

Sans titre

2013

Mohamed Bourouissa, Sans titre, 2013

After seeing Martha Camarillo’s photographs of horsemen in Strawberry Mansion -an impoverished Philadelphia neighbourhood- Mohamed Bourouissa travelled to see the urban stables run by African American men. For eight months, he observed, drew and photographed this community. As the community and Bourouissa became closer throughout his stay, the artist suggested that they organize a competition, called “Horse Day”, in which artists from other neighborhoods would be invited to create costumes for the horses. The project then entitled “Urban Riders” revolves around the double projection of the film Horse Day and Distortion, a series of customised saddles, sculptures, photographs and drawings. Using the language of Western iconography, Bourouissa portrays the riders as Black cowboys and urban heroes.

Mohamed Bourouissa became known in the 2000s with a series of photographs on young people in the suburbs of Paris. His work later evolved into video, sculpture, and installation, but remained focused on issues related to immigration and the social-economic processes that lead to integration or exclusion. He describes contemporary society implicitly, by outlining its contours. With a critical take on the mass media image, the subjects of his photographs and videos are people left behind at the crossroads of integration and exclusion. Preceded by a long immersion phase, each of Mohamed Bourouissa’s projects builds a new enunciation situation.

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Mohamed Bourouissa Sans titre

Mohamed Bourouissa

Sans titre