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Roman Selim Khereddine

SCULPTORS

Vidéo expérimentale | digital | couleur | 22:32 | Suisse | 2022

SCULPTORS deals with the hardships of a farmer on dry land and those of a taxidermist who wants to stuff a species threatened with extinction. Both men find special solutions to their problems: The farmer places his entire herd of goats in the branches of a tree next to the motorway to attract tourists who want to capture the bizarre image. The taxidermist, on the other hand, makes do with two black bear skins, one of which he bleaches white and then sews together with the second skin to end up with something resembling the black and white fur of a giant panda. In describing these strategies, Khereddine is concerned with the relationship between image and thing, copy and original, imagination and reality, appearance and essence. In both examples examined, the obsession with the repetition of the image, the consumer’s desire to always have everything, and the individual’s urge to stand out from the crowd shines through.

In his work, Roman Selim Khereddine combines academic research and essayistic writing, found footage and his own moving images. His video essays deal with topics such as the popularity of police dogs in North Africa (German Shepherds Need Heroes Too, 2020), two of the most iconic photographs of the 21st century (Falling Man / Hooded Man, 2021), the history of Moroccan workers in Swiss circusses (‘How the Circus got its Moroccans’, 2021), the difficulties of making a taxidermy mount of a Panda (SCULPTORS, 2022) or the trials and tribulations of zookeepers in Palestine (behind a thousand bars no world, 2023). Khereddine holds Master’s degrees in History and Fine Arts. He lives and works between Zurich and Paris.