Mohamed Bourouissa has made films and artwork that contend with the material and invisible dimensions of racism and oppression. These works have earned him recognition for their critical analysis of social structures and media conventions.

Genealogy of Violence explores the rituals and protocols involved in the policing of marginalized communities from the perspective of a young couple whose date is interrupted by two officers on a power trip. This brief, intrusive moment lends itself to a reflection on racial profiling and stresses the odd, out-of-body feeling a sudden frisking can provoke.

“Imagine a film about police brutality, with no brutality. A film where nothing happens, yet you’re left baffled. Invisible violence, disguised under lawful humiliation. Domination wrapped in polite protocols. I started talking about making this short film back in 2018, but the idea of it was haunting me probably since the late ‘90s, when I started being constantly stopped by the police for random identity checks. I felt a certain urgency to tell this very personal story.” MOHAMED BOUROUISSA

Unlike other films that explore similar scenarios, Genealogy of Violence never tacks a climactic altercation or didactic kicker to its narrative. Instead, it generates discomfort through its emphasis on the workaday nature of the systematic policing procedures it depicts. Even Bourouissa’s decision to include fantastic CGI images to represent the inner turmoil of his main character relates to the abstracted state-of-mind he experiences. In its simplicity, Genealogy of Violence hones in on the persistent, patterned methods by which so-called figures of authority harass people in a state of powerlessness.

Mohamed Bourouissa was born in Bilda, Algeria, in 1978. He moved to Paris in his youth, and has since become a renowned artist in France. Working across photography, film, sculpture, and other disciplines, his work explores questions of political representation, systemic oppression, and visual capture. He has had exhibitions at The Armory, kammel menour, Stedelijk Museum, Palais de Tokyo, Centre Pompidou, and numerous other prestigious institutions. In 2020, we presented a two–week sample of his work.

Text written by Nicolas Pedrero-Setzer. Special thanks to DIVISION.