PHOTO:2nd Photography Biennale of the Contemporary Arab World, Part II

Farida Hamak, Bou Saada, from Series Algeria Traces, 2014, Courtesy: Galerie Regard SudInstitut du Monde Arabe (IMA) is dedicated to cultural exchanges between Europe and the Arab countries, while Maison Européenne de la Photographie (MEP) is one of the most important exhibition spaces for photography in France.Established by IMA and MEP the aim of the Photography Biennale of the Contemporary Arab World aims to develop a unique panorama of the contemporary photographers operating in and on the Arab world since the early 2000s (Part I).

By Efi Michalarou
Photo: Institut du Monde Arabe Archive

After success enjoyed by the first edition of Photography Biennale of the Contemporary Arab World in 2015, the two institutions are pursuing the exploration of  contemporary photographic work in this part of the world. Held simultaneously in eight Parisian venues: the IMA, the MEP, the Cité Internationale des arts, the Mairie of the 4th arrondissement, the Galerie Thierry Marlat, the Galerie Photo12, the Galerie Clémentine de la Féronnière, and the Galerie Binome,  the biennial offers a diverse itinerary through the perceptions of the contemporary Arab world. Each exhibition venue display works by photographers from the Middle East who are either living in their native country or working abroad, in addition to works by foreign photographers who have witnessed and reported on the contemporary situation in Arab countries. In so doing, the biennial emphasises the importance of cultural diversity through art. The 2017 Biennale decided to focus on Tunisia and Algeria, also to Leila Alaoui, whopassed away while her portraits of Moroccans were being exhibited in the first edition of the Biennale. The central exhibition space is the IMA. The exhibition there is structured into four chapters: “Spring”, “Culture and Identity”, “Interior Spaces” and “Landscape”. The photos are accompanied by short statements in which the photographers give an introduction to their work and provide interesting background information. At the MEP, there is a presentation of photographs on various themes and in different styles by Hicham Benohoud, Farida Hamak, and Xenia Nikolskaya, taken in Algeria, Egypt, and Morocco respectively. It includes a retrospective of the work of Moroccan photographer Daoud Aoulad-Syad, and the Palestine-based photographer team Andrea&Magda in their work ″Sinai Park” focus on the economic crisis on the Egyptian Sinai Peninsula resulting from the Arab Spring on Tahrir Square. At the gallery of the Cité Internationale des Arts, Bruno Boudjelal presents the exhibition “IKBAL / ARRIVEES”, bringing together the work of 20 Algerian photographers under 30 and offering a poignant portrait of this emerging scene. At the Mairie of the 4th arrondissement, works by the photojournalist Michel Slomka provide an insight into the plight of the Yazīdī community, which has been the victim of Islamic State jihadists in Iraq. In the participating galleries, there is a presentation of photographs by Mustapha Azeroual and Sara Naim (Binome), Daniel Aron (Photo12), Marco Barbon (Clémentine de la Féronnière), and Randa Mirza and Zad Moultaka (Thierry Marlat).

Info: 2nd Photography Biennale of the Contemporary Arab World, Duration 13/9-12/11/17 (the exhibition at the MEP will close on 29/10/17 and the exhibition at the Cité Internationale des arts on 4/11/17), http://biennalephotomondearabe.com, Venues: The Institut du Monde Arabe, 1 Rue des Fossés Saint-Bernard, Paris, Days & Hours: Tue-Fri 10:00-18:00, Sat-Sun 10:00-19:00, www.imarabe.org, Maison Européenne de la Photographie, 5-7 Rue de Fourcy, Paris, Days & Hours: Wed-Sun 11:00-19:45, www.mep-fr.org, Mairie du 4ème arrondissement de Paris, 2 place Baudoyer, Paris, Days & Hours: Mon-Sat 9:00-17:30, www.mairie04.paris.fr, Cité internationale des arts, 18 rue de l’Hôtel de Ville, Paris, Days & Hours: Daily 12:00-14:00, www.citedesartsparis.net, Galerie Clementine de la Feronniere, 51 rue saint-Louis-en-l’île, Paris, Days & Hours: Tue-Sat 11:00-19:00, http://galerieclementinedelaferonniere.fr, Photo 12 Galerie, 14 rue des Jardins Saint-Paul, Paris, Days & Hours: Tue-Sat 14:00-18:30, www.galerie-photo12.com, Galerie Binôme, 19 rue Charlemagne, Paris, Days & Hours: Tue-Wed 13:00-19:00, http://galeriebinome.com, Galerie Thierry Marlat, 2 Rue de Jarente, Paris, Days & Hours: Mon-Sat 14:00-19:00, www.galerie-marlat.fr

Daniel Aron, Breakfast, from the series Simple Interiors Series Tangier, 199-97, Courtesy Galerie Photo 12
Daniel Aron, Breakfast, from the series Simple Interiors Series Tangier, 199-97, Courtesy Galerie Photo 12, Institut du Monde Arabe Archive

 

 

Daniel Aron, Table, from the series Simple Interiors Series Tangier, 199-97, Courtesy Galerie Photo 12
Daniel Aron, Table, from the series Simple Interiors Series Tangier, 199-97, Courtesy Galerie Photo 12, Institut du Monde Arabe Archive

 

 

Farida Hamak, Bou Saada,from the series On the trail, Algeria, 2014,Courtesy Regard Sud Galerie
Farida Hamak, Bou Saada,from the series On the trail, Algeria, 2014, Courtesy Regard Sud Galerie, Institut du Monde Arabe Archive

 

 

Farida Hamak, from the series On the trail, Algeria, 2014,Courtesy Regard Sud Galerie
Farida Hamak, from the series On the trail, Algeria, 2014, Courtesy Regard Sud Galerie, Institut du Monde Arabe Archive

 

 

Ahmed Badreddine Debba, from the series The history of man with the djellaba 001, Courtesy the artist
Ahmed Badreddine Debba, from the series The history of man with the djellaba, Courtesy the artist, Institut du Monde Arabe Archive

 

 

Ahmed Badreddine Debba, from the series The history of man with the djellaba, Courtesy the artist, Institut du Monde Arabe Archive
Ahmed Badreddine Debba, from the series The history of man with the djellaba, Courtesy the artist, Institut du Monde Arabe Archive

 

 

Atef Berredjem, from the series To Here from Here, Courtesy the artist, Institut du Monde Arabe Archive
Atef Berredjem, from the series To Here from Here, Courtesy the artist, Institut du Monde Arabe Archive

 

 

Randa Mirza, Résidence, from the series, Beirutopia, 2011-ongoing, Courtesy Galerie Thierry Marlat, Institut du Monde Arabe Archive
Randa Mirza, Résidence, from the series, Beirutopia, 2011-ongoing, Courtesy Galerie Thierry Marlat, Institut du Monde Arabe Archive

 

 

Left: Hicham Benouhoud, from the series The Hole, 2016, Institut du Monde Arabe Archive. Right: Mehdi Boubekeur, from the series Tags ala tags, Institut du Monde Arabe Archive
Left: Hicham Benouhoud, from the series The Hole, 2016, Courtesy the artist, Institut du Monde Arabe Archive. Right: Mehdi Boubekeur, from the series Tags ala tags, Courtesy the artist, Institut du Monde Arabe Archive

 

 

Hicham Benouhoud, from the series Acrobatics, Courtesy the artist atn Loft Art Gallery-Casablanca, Institut du Monde Arabe Archive
Hicham Benouhoud, from the series Acrobatics, Courtesy the artist atn Loft Art Gallery-Casablanca, Institut du Monde Arabe Archive

 

 

Mehdi Boubekeur, from the series Tags ala tags, Institut du Monde Arabe Archive
Mehdi Boubekeur, from the series Tags ala tags, Courtesy the artist, Institut du Monde Arabe Archive

 

 

Oussama Tabti, from the series Face, Courtesy the artist, Institut du Monde Arabe Archive
Oussama Tabti, from the series Face, Courtesy the artist, Institut du Monde Arabe Archive

 

 

Ramzy Bensaadi, Rural Celebrations in Algeria, Courtesy the artist, Institut du Monde Arabe Archive
Ramzy Bensaadi, Rural Celebrations in Algeria, Courtesy the artist, Institut du Monde Arabe Archive

 

 

Ramzy Zahoual, from the series Handpicked Wrecks, Courtesy the artist, Institut du Monde Arabe Archive
Ramzy Zahoual, from the series Handpicked Wrecks, Courtesy the artist, Institut du Monde Arabe Archive

 

 

Ramzy Zahoual, from the series Handpicked Wrecks, Courtesy the artist, Institut du Monde Arabe Archive
Ramzy Zahoual, from the series Handpicked Wrecks, Courtesy the artist, Institut du Monde Arabe Archive

 

 

Attef Berredjem, from the series To Here from Here, Courtesy the artist, Institut du Monde Arabe Archive
Attef Berredjem, from the series To Here from Here, Courtesy the artist, Institut du Monde Arabe Archive

 

 

Xenia Nikolskaya, Radio Cinéma, from the series Dust Cairo, 2010, Courtesy the artist, Institut du Monde Arabe Archive
Xenia Nikolskaya, Radio Cinéma, from the series Dust Cairo, 2010, Courtesy the artist, Institut du Monde Arabe Archive

 

 

Sihem Salhi, from the series Lumière d'âme, Courtesy the artist, Institut du Monde Arabe Archive
Sihem Salhi, from the series Lumière d’âme, Courtesy the artist, Institut du Monde Arabe Archive

 

 

Sihem Salhi, from the series Lumière d'âme, Courtesy the artist, Institut du Monde Arabe Archive
Sihem Salhi, from the series Lumière d’âme, Courtesy the artist, Institut du Monde Arabe Archive

 

 

Xenia Nikolskaya, Villa Casdagli - Garden City, from the series Dust Cairo, 2010, Courtesy the artist, Institut du Monde Arabe Archive
Xenia Nikolskaya, Villa Casdagli – Garden City, from the series Dust Cairo, 2010, Courtesy the artist, Institut du Monde Arabe Archive

 

 

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