THE ALLOCHTOON

CHARIF BENHELIMA

Exhibition

A solo exhibition by the Belgian pho­tog­ra­ph­er Charif Benhelima (born in Brussels in 1967), The
Allochtoon displayed the Welcome to Belgium (1990-1999) series as well as Semites: A Wall under Con­struc­tion (2005-2011) in a global installation.

The pho­to­graph­ic work of this artist primarily centres on a quest for identity, based on his past as the orphan child of a Moroccan immigrant father, settled in Brussels, and a Belgian mother who died when he was a child. Parental absence and the ensuing feeling of dis­place­ment drive his artistic process. Although it is auto­bi­o­graph­i­cal, the strong impact of his work is a result of its universal relevance.
In addition to the two series displayed, texts tracing the artist’s story were also integrated into the exhibition, accen­tu­at­ing the narrative dimension of his work. Lastly, a new piece portrayed a young Charif Benhelima stripped of all contextual references whether geo­graph­i­cal, cultural or otherwise. It considered perceptions of the other as well as the issue of collective judgements.

Exhibition Curator: Pierre-Olivier Rollin