BAM

bio

Charif Benhelima currently lives and works in Berlin as well as in Antwerp. Consumed by a sense of incongruence, Benhelima embarked in a nine-year (1990-1999) photographic research on the feeling of being a foreigner, which later resulted in the tough yet poetic book Welcome to Belgium (2003).

In his photography identity is a crucial question. By the use of polaroid, shown as they are or reproduced in high gloss cibachrome, the artist creates timeless images, bringing the viewer back and forth to past and present, thus giving a sensation of destabilization and enhancing the feeling of transition and obscuring the notion of truth. In a kind of countercurrent to the digital medium he embarks on a highly personal style which, although dealing with issues of identity, nevertheless is without pathos. That way the image, even so inseparably linked to its creator, is open for the viewer´s own interpretation.

cv

Solo exhibitions (selection)

2009

'Charif Benhelima', The Bag Factory, Johannesburg (South Africa)

2008

'Roots I', Crown Gallery, Brussels (Belgium)

2007

'Black-out', Vlaams-Nederlands huis deBuren, Brussels (Belgium)
'Black-out', De Brakke Grond, Amsterdam (The Netherlands)

2005

'Harlem on my mind, I was, I Am', V-editie, Antwerp (Belgium)
'Semites', Kunstlerhaus Bethanien Gmbh, Berlin (Germany)
'Harlem on my mind, I was, I Am', Huis Van winckel, Dendermonde (Belgium)
'10 years Art Forum Berlin', Art Forum Berlin, Berlin (Germany)

2004

'Welcome to Belgium', Forum Fnac, Brussels-Ghent-Liege (Belgium)
'Harlem on my mind, I was, I Am', Gallery Kusseneers, Antwerp (Belgium)
'Passage- Shirin Neshat', Forum ModeNatie (MoMu), Antwerp (Belgium)

1999

'Tussen stompzinnigheid en waanzin', Museum of Modern Art (PMMK), Ostend (Belgium)

Group exhibitions (selection)

2009

'A Story of the Image: Visual Art as Visual Culture', Institute of Contemporary Arts, Singapore

2008

'Nós', Museu da República, Rio de Janeiro (Brasil)
'Architecure in the picture', BOZAR, Centre for Fine art, Brussels (Belgium)
'The Collection XXII FANTASY', Museum of Contemporary Art-MuHKA, Antwerp (Belgium)
'Mimétisme', Center for Contemporary Art-Extra City, Antwerp (Belgium)

2007

'Portraits de l'autre', Musee d'Ixelles, Brussels (Belgium)
'Invisibility', Riccardo Crespi Gallery, Milan (Italy)
'Portraits de l'autre', Centre Wallonie-Bruxelles, Paris (France)

2006

'Abraço', Espaço Chiado, Lisabon (Portugal)
'Berlijn Tendenzen', Palau de la Virreina - La Capella, Barcelona (Spain)

2005

'Monopolis', Witte de With, Rotterdam (The Netherlands)
'Razao e Sensibilidade, Encontro com Arte', Sao Paulo (Brasil)

2004

'Démarcations', Centre Wallonie-Bruxelles, Paris (France)
'Biennale Europea', Arti CAMeC, La Spezia (Italy)
'Walk of Fame', Photokina, Cologne (Germany)
'Rencontres Internationales de La Photographie', Fnac Arles (France)

2003

'A Look at art Belgium in the Nineties', Museum of Contemporary Art (MuHKA) Antwerp (Belgium)

1999

'ATTACK!' Arti et Amicitiae: Holland festival, Amsterdam (The Netherlands)

1998

'Ouverte', Museum of photography, Charleroi (Belgium)

Bibliography (selection)

Badelt Udo, 'Blicke hinter Kunst-Kulissen', in: Metropol, Berlin 27.05.2005
Bril Martin, 'Hélène' , in: Het PAROOL, The Netherlands, 5 June 1999
Courier International, Supplément au nº 711, France
De Baere Bart, 'Costanti Diversità', Biennale Europea Arti Visive La Spezia, Italy
Delaunois Alain, 'Images sans papiers de Charif Benhelima', in: Le Soir, Belgium 28 June 1999
Dienderen An van., Culturele Diversiteit: Epo, België
Elias Willem, Documents of strangeness: photography of in-discretion: catalogue PMMK: Belgium 1990-1999.Geo Daniella, 'Renaissance in Harlem', in: RioArte, Brazilië, 2005
Hannula Mika, 'Bury Me Up Standing', in: BE-Magazine, Berlijn, Duitsland, 2006
'Harlem on my mind', in: De Standaard Magazine, Belgium, 27 September 2002
Lauwaert Dirk, 'van welkom tot waanzin', in: Financiele Economische Tijd, Belgium, 28 June 2003
Mantos Dennys, Berlijn, Tendenzen, Barcelona, Spanje
Moreira Inês, En una frase: el Muro de Berlín ha caído, también, hacia Occidente', 12 ABR - 25 SET 2006
Nº 69 journal des Galeries Photo, été 2004, France
Oliveros Ricardo, Razao e Sensibilidade, Sao Paulo, Brasil
Priante Toni, 'Setze artistes per mostrar el pols cultural Berlijnes', in: Canal Cultura, Barcelona Spain.10.05.2006
Reis Paulo, Razao e Sensibilidade, Sao Paulo, Brasil 2005
Ruyters Marc, 'Actuele Kunst', in: De Financiele Economische Tijd, Belgium, 2003
Swinnen Johan, 'Het stille verhaal van de Belgische fotografie', in: Kunstmagazine AAA, 2005
Tolipan Heloisa, 'Arte do encontro', in: Jornal Brasieiro - JB, Sao Paulo, Brasil
Tuymans Luc, 'Welcome to Belgium', in: Ludion, Belgium-Netherlands
Van der Speeten Geert, 'Monopolis toont kunst en engagement in Antwerpen', in: De Standaard, 12/09/2005
Viaene Wim, 'Een hinkstapspel : Charif Benhelima', in: Kunsttijdschrift Vlaanderen, Lannoo, Belgium, 2005
Zantou Pascal, 'Actualite, dak'art actu', in: dak'art au quotidian N 2, Samdi 06, Mai 2006