Wiame Haddad
“My reflection and my photographic approach attempt to reflect the tension of these bodies in front of themselves.The body therefore assumes a complex defense mechanism against its own environment, struggling between modesty and a feeling of unease. My presence, though silent, becomes the reflection of the existence of these bodies.
In attempting to reunite all aspects of traditional subjectivity, the purpose is to tell that the space of the room embodies the subject itself. For that, I rely on anything that highlight the manner in which a body express a lock-in situation, an internal conflict or a conflict caused by a historical or social context. I focus therefore on the body as illustration of a political standing.
Between West and East, my reflection about the body keeps being written. It is a matter of acknowledging the existence of these bodies and of defining their status, existence and realities. Aesthetically, socially and politically, my photographic approach derive from my interest in these bodies.The persons I photograph are often familiar to me, whether they are unknown to me or not.
My photographs carry in them the relationship between the individual and the location. They rely on a tension that takes structure around these bodies and their environments. A fragile balance takes then place and it seems to switch the image to something poetic that flirts with the politic.
Placing a character in an environment is certainly part of image conception ; however, I observe meticulously the behavior of my subjects. The attitude of the individuals I photographs is very important as it condition the perception of my images. Under a silence, often heavy, shots are ambiguous. I neither try to direct my characters nor do I attempt to reassure them. My interest lies in the manner the bodies naturally take place in the image, even in the presence of feelings of unease.
Natural light, which often graze the faces, strengthen this feeling of intrusion. The elected places are minimalist, which permit a better concentration on the subject.
My images slowly reveal themselves in a outstanding space. Time stops and models are sometimes attracted to unknown elements, suggest by out-of-range situations, and sometimes, they fixate us directly, as if they wanted to defy us. I try, in my photographic work, to assert realities which seem to me justified by the current social and political context.”
Wiame Haddad
Articles
• “Souvenirs du bagne” par Kenza Sefrioui in TelQuel
• “Incubateur”, in Diptyk n.29
• “Ceux qui restent” interview de Wiame Haddad sur Afrique in Visu
