Art Taaalkssss: Neïl Beloufa and Mohamed Almusibli

Neïl Beloufa, Humanities, exhibition view, Kunsthalle Basel, 2024, photo: Philipp Hänger / Kunsthalle Basel

Neïl Beloufa is a French-Algerian artist whose work engages with what is at stake when one apprehends reality and its representation. His practice spans film, sculpture, and installation, and draws on his interest in what actually exists and how it is interpreted, a subject that he explores without moral judgment, cultural cynicism or any kind of irony—though sometimes with humor. Humanities, Beloufa’s current exhibition at Kunsthalle Basel (until 19 January 2025), asks visitors a series of questions, such as “What is your name?” and “What is your occupation?” Through their answers, visitors build their own digital avatar, which guides them through a process of self-construction that shapes their experience throughout their visit, and which is given life in a video animation at the end of the show. The exhibition interrogates how personal narratives, societal structures, and symbols of success and failure guide people’s understanding of themselves and the world.

For Art Taaalkssss, Beloufa will discuss his practice in conversation with Kunsthalle Basel’s director Mohamed Almusibli, focusing on his interest in weaving together diverse discourses—personal success, institutional critique, and the commodification of identity—and creating cohesive and multifaceted portraits of contemporary society.

Neïl Beloufa lives and works in Paris. He is a multimedia artist exploring themes of utopia and dystopia; assumption and fantasy as they play into narratives. His work has been shown in contemporary art venues and film festivals around the globe.

Mohamed Almusibli is Director and Chief Curator of Kunsthalle Basel. He was Co-Founder and Director of the independently run art space Cherish in Geneva, and is Consultant for the Hartwig Art Foundation, Amsterdam.