Houria Niati

Style: Neo Expressionism;

Place: Khemis Miliana

Born: 1948

Biography:

Houria Niati (born 1948 in Khemis Miliana, Algeria) is an Algerian, contemporary artist living in London. Niati specializes in mixed media installations that criticize Western representations and objectification of north African and Middle Eastern women. Her installations notably have live performances most commonly traditional Algerian music such as Raï, as a key visual representation of Niati's homeland and culture. Niati grew up in French-occupied Algeria, where over one million Algerians were killed for resisting occupation. When Niati was twelve years old, she demonstrated against French colonialism with her anti-colonial graffiti, which landed her in jail. Niati moved to London in the late 1970s, where she observed Western art that depicted Algerian people, especially women, in a fictionalized and exotic way. This influenced her own depictions of post-colonial cultures, nations, and people. She attended Camden Arts Centre and Croydon College of Art, and later went on to get an MA in Fine Arts at Middlesex University.