(b. 1985, France), Lives and works in Paris
Neïl Beloufa is a French-Algerian artist whose practice spans film, sculpture and installation. One of the most powerful voices of the generation of artists born in the 1980s, he explores the paradigm of reality and its representation, drawing on his interest in what actually exists and how it is interpreted. Focusing on contemporary society and its representations mediated by digital interactions, his work often exposes control mechanisms and power-dynamics associated with the age of technological advances. Beloufa’s artistic research is influenced by the imagery and language of online spaces, video games, reality TV and political propaganda and reflects on the values system of a society that lives in a digital realm, dominated by an algorithm. Created within the space of dichotomies – online and offline, reality and representation, cause and effect – Beloufa’s works are deeply reflective of the predicaments and pitfalls of contemporary age, devoid of moral judgement or cultural cynicism though, at times, not without humour and playfulness.
Neïl Beloufa nominated for the Prix Marcel Duchamp in 2015, the Artes Mundi (Cardiff, United Kingdom) and Nam June Paik (Essen, Germany) prizes in 2016. He was awarded the Meurice Prize for Contemporary Art 2013, Audi Talent Awards 2011 and the Agnès B. Studio Collector Award 2010. His work has been exhibited internationally in institutions including K11 (Shanghai); Museum of Modern Art (NYS); Schinkel Pavilion (Berlin); Institute of Contemporary Arts (London); Hammer Museum (LA) ; Palais de Tokyo (Paris) and Schirn Kunsthalle (Frankfurt), among others. Beloufa took part in the Biennale of Contemporary Art in Shanghai in 2014, the 55th International Contemporary Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale in 2013, the Biennial of Contemporary Art in Lyon in 2013 and the 58th International Contemporary Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale in 2019. His work is included in numerous prestigious collections, such as the collection of the Centre Pompidou (Paris); Museum of Modern Art (New York); Sammlung Goetz (Munich); and Julia Stoschek Collection( Dusseldorf & Berlin).