Hamza Halloubi

Although video works by Hamza Halloubi (1982) may sometimes appear spontaneous and unscripted, nothing could be farther from the truth. Though he works without a compulsory script, he does have a clear and precise vision for what each piece must become. His carefully composed films straddle the line between fiction and documentary and are deeply rooted in his own lived experience. Time and time again, he explores the tension between the individual and the universal.

Halloubi grew up in Tangier and later moved to Belgium, where he still lives today. From that intercultural perspective, his work turns a critical eye to themes such as alienation, colonialism, migration and melancholy. His films often have a slow, contemplative rhythm and feature everyday observations or unexpected details, sometimes filmed from unusual camera angles – like footage shot using a camera in his pants pocket. Through such choices, the artist imbues seemingly insignificant moments with a suggestive charge. In addition to video and feature films, he also works with photography, text and installations.

Although he may take historical figures as a starting point, the goal is never to reconstruct history. He does not focus on tracing factual leads or shedding light on forgotten events. Instead, he looks for what is missing, and for elements that cannot be verified. This is where space emerges for speculation and new ways of thinking. To that end, he creates fictional characters who, by building on historical facts, enable us to engage with open-ended and speculative narratives.

Halloubi demands the viewer’s full attention. His work calls for an active gaze and offers an individual experience – after all, each of us brings our own baggage to the encounter. Because a work of art is incapable of reflection, its meaning is found not in the work itself but in what the viewer makes of it.