Dhewadi Hadjab's Large Paintings in Paris Church Explore Youthful Resistance

Two monumental paintings by Dhewadi Hadjab are displayed at Saint-Eustache church in Paris until December 12, 2021. Commissioned by Rubis Mécénat in collaboration with Saint-Eustache and Beaux-Arts de Paris, the works feature young women in inverted positions on prayer stools. Their bodies exhibit tension between contraction and relaxation, reminiscent of choreography by Pina Bausch or Damien Jalet. Curator Gaël Charbau arranged the diptych slightly askew in the nave to enhance instability. The paintings reference art history, including Caravaggio's Crucifixion of Saint Peter and Jacques-Louis David's Oath of the Horatii. Contemporary elements like branded striped pants contrast with the dark church interior. Hadjab describes the figures as self-portraits representing Algerian youth and the ongoing March 2019 revolt. The artist explores silent rebellion through bodies that appear passive yet resistant.