Mohamed Bourouissa

The French photographer Mohamed Bourouissa (1978, Blida, Algeria) is interested in systems, in how society and particularly subcultures are structured. In his work, he explores the emergence of social processes. For his project Horseday (2013), he worked with a local Afro-American horse riding community in Philadelphia. Fascinated by these urban cowboys and the status which the riders derive from their stables and horses, Bourouissa organised a horse tuning event with artists and riders: a competition for the best decorated horse. Bourouissa translated this event into a series of impressive photos, a video for two screens and several sculptures. In his preparations for Horseday, Bourouissa made numerous sketches: drawings of sequences, draft compositions, quick watercolour sketches, a design for the preparation of the work. This artist book unfolds as a story with photos, sculptures and stills from Horseday, but Bourouissa also opens up his sketchbook, giving us a glimpse of his thinking process. This publication is a coproduction of Roma Publications and Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam.