Leila Alaoui, ARTIST IN HONOR at the FIFDH 14th edition

The face of a young shepherd, determined and proud. His eyes burn with “Hrag”, a term to describe the fire that rages in the hearts of those in the southern Mediterranean, willing to burn their past and sacrifice everything to reach the shores of Europe. This image is powerful: it bears witness to hundreds of stories, thousands of beings and millions of hopes. This beautiful photograph taken from Leila Alaoui’s work No Pasara in Tangier is the face of the FIFDH poster this year.

Leila Alaoui, a unique artist, has traveled throughout Africa and the Middle East alongside migrants, water transporters, refugees and those forgotten along the road of history. With incredible talent, she documents their lives, offering a sense of pride, a means of identity, and a powerful story.

We are honored to present her work at the FIFDH: for eight months we were anticipating her arrival in Geneva. Confirmed as the Artist of Honour at this year’s Festival, she had planned to present the FIFDH poster, her exhibition, and take part in an artistic residency in Meyrin. But in January, two weeks before her arrival, the unthinkable happened : the life of the joyous and talented Leila Alaoui was tragically cut short in the attacks in Ouagadougou.

It is with great honour that we present the exhibition she had prepared for the FIFDH : Natreen, a project undertaken in the Syrian refugee camps of Lebanon. As part of the exhibition, the artistic residency in Meyrin will host a period of reflection and discussion about her work.

Leila’s vision of the world is a gift to us all. Just like her light.

Isabelle Gattiker

Leila Alaoui’s biography

Leila ALAOUI is a French-Moroccan photographer and video artist whose experiences across different cultural and geographic environments inform her critical and creative practice. Born in Paris in 1982, she studied photography at the City University of New York before spending time between Morocco and Lebanon. Her work explores the construction of identity and cultural diversity, often through the prism of the migration stories that intersect the contemporary Mediterranean. Her images express social realities using a visual language that combines the narrative depth of documentary storytelling and the aesthetic sensibilities of fine art.

Her work has been exhibited internationally since 2009, including at the Institut du Monde Arabe, Art Dubai and the Maison Européenne de la Photographie in Paris. Her photographs have been published in newspapers and magazines including The New York Times, Vogue and The Guardian. Leila’s humanitarian engagement involves photographic assignments with respected NGOs, including the Danish Refugee Council, Search for Common Ground and the UNHCR.

In January 2016, during a photographic assignment on women’s rights in Burkina Faso commissioned by Amnesty International, Leila fell victim to the terrorist attacks of Ouagadougou. She succumbed to her wounds on January 18th, 2016. The Leila Alaoui Foundation is being set-up to preserve her work, defend her values, and inspire artistic engagement for human dignity.

LEILA ALAOUI. IMAGES and activism

honoured artist at the FIFDH

Maison Vaudagne | Saturday, march 5th at 6:30 pm

Leila Alaoui, contemporary artist and photographer, and victim of the attacks in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, held conviction in her role to bear witness and scrutinize the human condition, to reveal its traces of injury, injustice and hope.

Her work explores identity, cultural diversity and migration in the Mediterranean region. Using photography and video, she developed a visual language at the intersection of documentary and visual arts.

Above all, this event will be an opportunity to reflect on her career, her residency project in Meyrin, and her humanity.

As reflection of her recent exhibition at the European House of Photography in Paris, we will explore the unique role and actions of women photographers in the contemporary Arab world, as well as the power of still and animated images to represent and to inspire our conscience.

WITH THE PARTICIPATION OF:

Pierre-Alain Tschudi | Mayor of the City of Meyrin 

Isabelle Gattiker | Director of FIFDH
Thierry Ruffieux | Head of Cairn, Department of Culture of the City of Meyrin

Nabil Canaan | Fiancé of Leila Alaoui and co-founder of the cultural space Station in Beirut

Gabriel Bauret | Comissioner of the first Biennale of contemporary photographers in the Arab World in Paris
Mounir Fatmi | Artist and videographer
Bruno Ulmer | Documentary filmmaker and visual artist

Moderator : Mathieu Menghini | Historian and cultural worker

ACCOMPAGNIED WITH :

Photography exhibition : Leila Alaoui 

Readings : Claude Thébert | Actor

Music : Les nomades (gnawa music)

NATREEN - WE ARE WAITING

Maison des arts du Grütli | espace Hornung | from march 7th to 13th

Photographies by Leila Alaoui.

Co-presented with Danish Refugee Council.

Vernissage :

Maison des arts du Grütli | Monday, March 7th, at 6pm