Sans titre

Untitled, (Casbah), 5 triptychs, color photographs laminated on Dibond, 24 x 108 cm
Untitled, (Daily Life), 6 triptychs, color photographs laminated on Dibond, 24 x 108 cm
Untitled, (Daily Life), 1 color photographic triptych laminated on Dibond, 42 x 189 cm
Untitled, (Bab-el-Oued), 7 triptychs color photographic laminated on Dibond, 24 x 108 cm

Untitled is a work composed of a frieze of photographic triptychs. Small in size, in black and white or color, the photographs are juxtaposed without any attempt at hierarchy. Natural and urban landscapes, portraits, still lifes, views of destroyed buildings – the images depict scenes of collective life and close-ups of everyday details in Algiers, taken in the working-class neighborhood of Bal-El-Oued where the artist lives.

Khaled Belaïd's photographic series convey the social and cultural dimensions of life in Algiers. The photographs form a visual diary of real-life situations, associated with more difficult events linked to the country's current political and economic context. Emotions, tenderness, and vulnerability: the images reflect conditions and ways of life, happy and painful events. Khaled Belaïd brings his personal and cultural background into play. Still lifes, tableware, and food are synonymous with warm and festive gatherings. Objects, perfumes, candles, flowers, and even draperies evoke filial and family traditions, retracing traditions and values. The scenes are staged in a setting similar to still lifes, not unlike those found in figurative painting. Bathed in soft natural light, these still lifes create a subdued, almost nostalgic atmosphere. With no background, the subject disappears in favor of symbolic, cultural, or enigmatic motifs. The images become more powerful and insistent. The artist's approach is not motivated by any desire for mimicry. The images function as communicating vessels through metaphors. What emerges is a latent state, provoked by the muted and filtered light of these intimate atmospheres. This approach is also reflected in the arrangement and dichotomy of the images: full of rupture, contrast, and continuity.