Projects 102: Neïl Beloufa

Projects 102, part of The Elaine Dannheisser Projects Series, is the first solo New York museum exhibition of the work of emerging artist Neïl Beloufa (Algerian-French, born 1985), who combines moving-image mediums and sculpture to create immersive viewing spaces. Within these environments, he treats projections as objects, obstructing and consciously framing the spectator’s viewing experience. By revealing the cables and cords in his works, or looping in images of viewers through closed-circuit television, for example, the installation draws attention to the technological and social apparatuses embedded within it.

Created especially for this exhibition, The Colonies (2016) was made by hand, using inexpensive construction materials and techniques. The video at the center of the installation, People's passion, lifestyle, beautiful wine, gigantic glass towers, all surrounded by water (2011), features a group of people in an unnamed city enthusiastically describing their experience there. Beloufa often works collaboratively, and in this instance he teamed up with actors to generate scripts that imitate popular forms like infomercials and science fiction. He frequently repurposes the same video in each of his custom-built environments, installing it here with a view of the Midtown Manhattan skyline.

Beloufa received his Visual Arts National Diploma at École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts, Paris (2007), and he studied at Cooper Union in New York and California Institute of the Arts in California. His work has been featured in numerous international solo and group exhibitions.

Organized by Thomas J. Lax, Associate Curator, Department of Media and Performance Art, MoMA