It was social critic Edward W. Said who termed Orientalism as the post-colonial tendency to personify the “Arab and Eastern cultures as exotic, distorted, uncivilized and at times dangerous.” It is through this faulty lens that the Eastern and Arab cultures continue struggling to legitimize their position in social structures of acceptance and understandings from the West and Eurocentric cultures.

Regretfully, although one would like to assume the art world as tolerant of “others” in its reich; evidence proves otherwise, displaying very little or vague opportunities for artists residing in the East ( dominantly Arab ) to exhibit their work on US soils. This year, in 2018, marked the first-ever solo exhibition of a self-taught Algerian artist Baya Mahieddine (1931–1998), at New York University’s Grey Art Gallery.

Back in Algeria the struggle to be seen outside the Orientalist perspective continues with a swath of renegade artists and curators: searching for ways to break the stereotype artforms and infrastructures by conducting new alternative run spaces and bridging communications with foreigners. These quads not only present the art of local contemporary artists but rather invite international voices to coexist in a place that offers a compound exchange of ideas, open forum, and cultural exchange with Algerian artists working on the edge of their medium. One of those spaces, BOX24, now in its ten-year anniversary is lead by its founding visionary leader, Walid Aidoud.

Aidoud opened BOX24 as the first collective run space free of rigid structures or business-oriented mindsets like most galleries. BOX24 offers the artist(s) an ” independent art space in the country and a response to the Ministry of Culture’s monopoly on the art scene.” Just like many artists facing severe discrimination in the U.S., it seems bleaker to the Algerian artists, as the younger generation belts n frustration “there’s huge money in culture, but it’s not the artists who are getting it.”

Universally, it all sounds familiar but with Aidoud advocating the way for the new wave of Algerian artists, opportunities to participate at the Pan-African Festival, the Algerian Biennale and a few other lucrative exhibitions in surrounding countries surface. For the Algerian artists, it is a modern phenomenon to deconstruct the inappropriate depiction of Arab and Eastern culture, re-imagine the politics of identity, while presenting new modes and methods in their practice. Dispelling “Western scholarship” and “inextricable ties to imperialist societies” is at the foot of debate among the Algerian artist’s desire to thrive.

In addition to Aidoud’s repertoire of work as a designer, curator, and artist at BOX24 (as well as his participation in exhibitions abroad), every year Algerian artists are selected by Aidoud to participate in the innovative, human rights action ARTiFairiti: in the town Tifariti in the disputed territory of Western Sahara, Africa. This year’s program invited a fresh crew of Algerian artists working in photography, film, music, and performance.

Aidoud curated a blanc night reception, celebrating the evening’s reaction based performances by inviting participants to illuminate columns via cellphones and flashlights. Projected images and videos embellished the Vernacular architecture with works by artists: Haythem Ameur, Arslane Bestaoui, Abdo Shannon, Bouchama Mohamed  Kamel, Lyes Karbouai, while Myriam Niboucha and Hyat Rahmani performed a corporeal installation of poetics, theatrics and fire installation. Between the diversity of people, cultures, lights, wild colors, sounds, and dance, Aidoud orchestrated a mosaic assemblagé of identities and history at the intersection of time.

As BOX24 closes its existing location, to reopen in 2019, a favorable juncture of circumstances appears in the horizon for Aidoud, a direction far higher than expected for BOX24 and Algeria’s artists.

Written by

Beláxis Buil

Edited by Abel Folgar