Biographie
Born in 1992 in Italy, Karim El Maktafi is an Italian-Moroccan photographer graduated from the Italian Institute of Photography in Milan in 2013. His work has been presented in several festivals such as Festival Photo in Brescia, Festival of Ethical Photography, Fotografia Europea, FotoLeggendo… his work has been exhibited in several galleries as well and he received the young talent Alessandro Voglino prize at the FRAME Foto Festival.
Présentation
"Hayati" (“my life” in Arabic) is a visual journal realized exclusively with a smartphone. Hayati reflects on my identity as a second-generation Italian. Son of immigrants, born and raised in Italy, balance between two realities that at first sight might seem incompatible.
To produce this story, I became both its subject and its object. I was born in Desenzano del Garda, a village near Brescia, Italy, from Moroccan parents. Growing up between two worlds forced me to sharpen my gaze and to compare points of view which often diverge from each other. Embracing a single identity is not easy; feeling out of place or like an odd cultural hybrid often happens. Yet, while trying to define this identity, one understands the privilege of “standing on a doorstep” on the edge of two environments.
One can decide who to be, where to belong, or to create new ties, while keeping alive the experiences learnt along the path. One must learn to juggle multiple languages, cultural taboos, references, prohibitions, and learn to make yourself understood to those who are not themselves standing between two worlds.
I had to travel inside my own life and family. I faced doubts, hesitations and afterthoughts, but I produced an honest portrait of how I have lived until today.
The most interesting aspect of this story — of my story — is the creation of a less restricted reality. One that is undefined, in which various beliefs and experiences thrive and form a unique harmony".
"Hayati" was realized between Italy and Morocco during a year-long scholarship at Fabrica, Benetton Group’s communication research centre based in Treviso, Italy.