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Leila Alaoui

Leila Alaoui

Place: Paris

Born: 1982

Death: 2016

Biography:

Leila Alaoui was a French-Moroccan photographer and video artist. She was born in Paris in 1982 and grew up in Marrakesh, Morocco. Alaoui studied photography at the City University of New York and returned to Morocco in 2008. She believed that photography and art could be used for social activism and should be used for reflecting and questioning society.

Early Life and Work

Alaoui's work was exhibited widely and is held in the collection of Qatar Museums. Her photos were published in The New York Times and Vogue. She also completed assignments for the Spanish TV reality show El Mago. In 2013, she was commissioned by the Danish Refugee Council to create a series of portraits of refugees in Lebanon. The project was called Natreen ("We Wait").

Artistic Style and Inspiration

Alaoui's artistic style was influenced by her childhood and adolescence, where she was exposed to tragic stories of migrants drowning at sea while undertaking hazardous journeys. She used image creation, reports, and studio video installations to focus on social and national realities of cultural identity and diversity, migration, and displacement. One of her commonly used techniques was to set up a portable studio in a public place such as a market square and invite interested passers-by to be photographed. Important works by Alaoui include Crossings, a video installation describing the journeys of Moroccans traveling to Europe, and Everyday Heroes of Syria, a photographic assignment focusing on Syrians living in refugee settlements. These projects were completed for the Danish Refugee Council, the European Commission Humanitarian Aid Office, and ActionAid.

Death and Legacy

Alaoui died from injuries suffered in a terrorist attack in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, on January 18, 2016. Her death was met with tributes in Morocco, France, and many other countries. The 6th Marrakech Biennale (February–May 2016) was dedicated to her memory, as well as the 2nd Photography Biennale of the contemporar. Alaoui's work continues to be celebrated and recognized for its humanistic commitment and artistic value.

Important

links to explore: - https://Wikioo.org/@/Leila-Alaoui - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leila_Alaoui - https://Wikioo.org/Art.nsf/O/A@D3B5EP

Leila Alaoui – Most viewed artworks

Wikioo.org - The Encyclopedia of Fine Arts