The artist Nasreddine Bennacer exhibits for the first time at the Afikaris Gallery his very intimate work, marked by his cultural roots and his journey between Algeria and France, the country he joined in 1991.
His gouaches on Japanese paper explore the theme of memory erasure, recalling that of Algerian society during the black decade, as well as that of his own family, which does not transmit his Kabyle history. The series "Untitled" (2020-2023) presents Berber characters fading on vaporous canvases. The artist evokes a forgotten language that escapes by the current of a river or the flow of the sea, symbol of migration and hope. This language still leaves its trace, which the artist keeps alive through his art.
The exhibition "Je remonte la trace de mes pas" presents the furrows of his identity quest in the form of an autobiographical narrative. We perceive his search for the medium that best reflects his momentary thoughts, his inner revolts, and his hybridity: if he has mostly practiced drawing, Nasreddine Bennacer also tries his hand at photography, video, installations and sculpture. A dozen works come together to translate his vision of a complex, poetic, and sometimes violent world.

Tea Mignien

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