Mohammed Laouli
Les Sculptures n’étaient pas blanches, 2020
The video Les Sculptures n’étaient pas blanches examines the colonial traces in Marseille.
On the steps of Saint Charles station in the summer of 2020, a man dressed in blue overalls is seen cleaning a colonial monument. His garb recalls the stereotype of Maghreb migrants who came to clean and rebuild the France of the 30-year post-war boom. The man is Mohammed Laouli.
The colonial monument was erected in 1922 – the heyday of French colonialism – for the Colonial Exposition in Marseille. Allegorically depicts French African colonies as a naked woman, it is called Colonies d’Afrique (Colonies of Africa). The sculpture bears traces of red paint thrown at it by BlackLivesMatter activists on 30 June 2020. Is the artist trying to remove the traces of structural colonial violence and postcolonial rage in France with his performance?
The artist Mohammed Laouli was born in Salé, Morocco in 1972 and studied philosophy in Rabat, Morocco. He lives and works in Marseille. His artistic work focuses on people living on the margins of society. In his videos, photographic works and public actions, he also addresses conditions of politically engaged artistic practice in Morocco. His approach includes a critical look at the political, cultural and economic systems of power that surround him, especially the post-colonial relations between France and the Maghreb.
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Foto: © Faycal Ben, 2019
Foto: © Mohammed Laouli
Mohammed Laouli
Les Sculptures n’étaient pas blanches, 2020
Length: 15:33 min.
Video | Script, editing, production, sound design: Mohammed Laouli
