October 29
My work is not a plea for inclusion. I don’t seek a place in art history—between Warhol and Richter. I aim to escape that place entirely. To declare my non-belonging, and to inscribe myself elsewhere, in a parallel, future space.
Where will my mouth lead me? This question arises already in the first days of Hamza Halloubi's residency in New York. It characterises his diary entries from August to November 2024. He observes the art world, comments on cultural and political events and thinks about writers and artists who have long intrigued him and what his body and their ideas are doing in this city – and what this city does not do to him and them: David Hammons, Edward Said, Mohamed Choukri, Félix González-Torres, … How they also appear like ghosts in his work. Hamza Halloubi approaches the viewer of his visual work, and here also the reader, as a social and political presence. In addition to his diary and image fragments from his films and exhibitions, this pocket book also includes two interviews with the artist.
Published by MER. books, Where Will My Mouth Lead Me is visual artist, filmmaker and long-term Moussem resident Hamza Halloubi's first book publication.
About Hamza Halloubi:
Hamza Halloubi (1982, Morocco) lives and works in Brussels. Walking a fine line between reality and fiction, his videos, installations and paintings interweave personal stories with a collective history. By doing so, the artist renders current issues like cultural identity, migration and post-colonialism tangible in an intuitive and poetic manner. Other recurring themes are the creative struggle, along with the relevance of art and what it means to be an artist in today's world. Hamza’s work are included in various inter/national public or private art collections, among which De Pont Museum Tilburg, M-museum Leuven, and S.M.A.K. in Gent.
Hamza’s most recent work is currently on view at De Pont, in a solo exhibition titled Its throat is parched with thirst, but it would not accept a single drop of water from alien hands. Running until March 1st 2026, the exhibition features various installation works, Hamza’s first feature film VIZOR, and a two-channel video work (produced by Moussem) that considers the body of Mehdi Ben Barka to question its viewers about capital, colonial power, and the conditions of art-making.
Book Specifications
Language: English
Pages: 228
Paperback / softback
Dimensions: 210 mm x 150 mm
Weight: 390 g
EAN number: 9789493470590
