Stéphanie Boulay is a graphic and visual artist specializing in visual identity, publishing, and creative workshops focused on collage and the reuse of materials, combining design with an eco-friendly artistic approach.
@lotfibenyelles explores the discomfort and disruption of personal space experienced by residents of the modern city. It traces its origins to his childhood bedroom in Algiers, which overlooked the esplanade where De Gaulle had delivered his famous “I have understood you.” Originally built as a living room, the space had become a shared area by the time of independence: a children’s bedroom at night that had to be rearranged into a reception room during the day. Later, an image struck him: the inhabitants of the slums emerging from the ravines of Algiers and setting out on the dirt paths along the roadsides. As an adult, he became interested in the urban expansion of his hometown.
In his work, primarily created using black-and-white film photography, he connects his practice with that of the people around him. In doing so, he questions the photographic practice in its dual dimension as both an activity and a work of art. The city exists through what its inhabitants make of it, and the photographer does not compose from an external vantage point; he inhabits this space and acts within it as well. At the intersection of public and private spaces, he is interested in the urban rituals of the inhabitants. His work thus sheds light on the complex relationship between individuals and their built environment.
His project *Habiter Calais* (commissioned by @cnapfr in 2016) was exhibited at the Centre Photographique d’Île-de-France @cpif_ (*Réinventer Calais*, 2019) and at the @centrepompidou (*Globale résistance*, 2020). The @villelacourneuve commissioned him for the photographic project Mémoires Courneuviennes (2021). He received a CNAP grant (2022) for his project “Vies et formes du nouvel Alger,” exhibited in January 2024 at the @institutiremmo
His works have been acquired by the National Center for Visual Arts and the City of La Courneuve.
Copyright: Léa Desjours (1), Lotfi Benyelles – ADAGP (2 and 3)
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