Mohamed Bourouissa Exhibition at CCA Goldsmiths Explores Marginalized Communities Through Video and Photography

Mohamed Bourouissa's exhibition 'HARa!!!!!!hAaaRAAAAA!!!!!hHAaA!!!' runs at CCA Goldsmiths in London from 21 May to 1 August 2021. The French-Algerian artist's work examines individuals confronting systems, blending documentary aesthetics with art historical references. His 2015 video 'Nasser' features his uncle struggling to read a French legal document about his own crime, highlighting language barriers and legal systems. The photographic series 'Périphérique' (2005–08), shot in Paris's banlieues, stages scenes with friends to challenge stereotypes about immigrants and ethnic minorities. In 'Temps Mort' (2008–09), Bourouissa collaborated via SMS with incarcerated friend Al, contrasting prison life with freedom. For Manifesta in Marseilles, 'Hara' (2020) transformed drug-dealing lookout cries into abstract urban birdsong. 'Horse Day' (2014–15) documents eight months with African American horse communities in Philadelphia's Strawberry Mansion neighborhood, culminating in a costumed competition. The artist's 'Resilience Garden' project for Liverpool Biennial 2018 involved local Toxteth residents, inspired by a patient of Frantz Fanon in Blida. Bourouissa, born in Blida, Algeria, moved to France at age five, discussing integration challenges and linguistic prejudice. His work questions distinctions between high and local culture, seeking poetry in everyday street life while addressing power dynamics in collaborative artmaking.