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The Arts Intel Report

HARa!!!!!!hAaaRAAAAA!!!!!hHAaA!!!

Oct 9, 2021 – Feb 20, 2022
Nyhavn 2, 1051 København K, Copenhagen, 1051, Denmark

Mohamed Bourouissa, a French-Algerian artist, is skeptical of mass media. But rather than dismiss it, he’s made it the subject of his art. A new solo exhibition—his first in Scandinavia—displays work from his entire career. The photos, films, and music he’s produced over 20 years zoom in on the media’s portrayal of young people of color, and then complicate that portrayal. This exhibition takes its name from Bourouissa’s 2020 sound installation Hara. The term, popular among teenagers in Marseille, is a warning kids shout to alert their friends that the cops are coming. In Bourouissa’s installation, featured in this solo show, the word is distorted and repeats on a loop. Other exhibition highlights include his first feature film, Horse Day, and portraits of young Parisians in the mid-aughts. —J.D.

Mohamed Bourouissa, “Le Cercle Imaginaire,” 2008 © Mohamed Bourouissa. Courtesy the artist and Kamel Mennour.