Untitled. 1960-1965. Gelatin silver print. Edition of 5. Stamped with Artist's Estate Stamp. 19 x 15 inches.
Untitled. 1960-1965. Gelatin silver print. Edition of 5. Stamped with Artist's Estate Stamp. 19 x 15 inches.
Lazhar Mansouri
(1932-1985)
Portraits of a Village :1950-70
Westwood Gallery is pleased to present a premiere U.S. exhibition of photographs by Lazhar Mansouri (1932-1985). Fifty five silver gelatin photographs represent a portion of over 100,000 portraits captured by this dedicated Algerian photographer. From 1950 through 1980, Mansouri photographed the inhabitants of Aïn Beïda, his home village in Northern Algeria.
When Mansouri was a child, he accompanied his grandmother to the local street market, considered a community meeting place and bazaar, where he met a photographer who had a studio in the back of a grocery store. The photographer hired him and through an apprenticeship, Mansouri learned the craft of photography. Eventually, he left to open his own studio in the back of a barber shop, dedicated to portraiture. After years of documenting everyday people in the region, Mansouri inadvertently created a photographic archive, a legacy of images representing people and tribes rarely photographed. During this period, Algeria went through war and political turmoil as the country fought for independence from France; however the stability of Mansouri’s studio was evident in the thousands of people he captured.
The images are a commentary of the time (gallery will exhibit 1950-1970), reflected through families, youth, tribes and military, with an emphasis on custom, kitsch, fashion and a familiar need for youth to be looked upon as ‘cool’. Young Algerian children are posed, somewhat uncomfortable looking, dressed in costumes, mini suits or sunglasses, holding guitars or standing near plastic plants. Teenagers wear leather jackets and pose with cigarettes dangling from their mouth. Engaged couples are captured in a kiss or replaying the moment of the ring engagement. In one photograph a village family stands rigid with three young daughters in the front row, yet off to the side is the teenage son in a relaxed pose holding a large transistor radio as a sign of his youth. In most photographs there is rarely a smile, since the individuals seem to take the moment seriously; it would be a treasured photo memory for a family. Plastic plants, columns and various patterned curtains were used as backdrops in the studio. In addition to the family portraits, Mansouri took hundreds of photos of Berber women with tattooed faces. These women never took off their veil for any man, except their husband, so the photo archive Mansouri created is exceptional. Luckily, the patrimony of photographs was saved by another photographer who saw its' value, since after Mansouri's death, his family decided it may be necessary to burn all the negatives.
In an interview with Mansouri, he describes the ritual of a seasoned professional who tries to be respectful of customs, but at the same time gets what he wants from the subject. “Women often come accompanied by a relative. They follow the man, veiled, not to be recognized in the street. When they come in the studio they submit to my rules. The only person that comes in is the one who wants the photograph. The person to be photographed has some space to fix her or his appearance, a small hand mirror, one on the wall, a hair brush and combs. Generally women come wearing makeup, well dressed with jewelry. A certain distance is imposed otherwise it would be a sign of disrespect for a man to be too close to a woman. The clients are very different and it is almost impossible to tell who has been in a studio before and knows the procedure and who has never seen a camera and needs instruction. The approach has to be very delicate in order to avoid shame, especially since for some of them it is the first time when they are without veil in front of a man they are not related to. Sometimes, I have to intervene if the hair covers the face, or jewelry is not placed where it should be. Then I try to arrange it, but I take all the precautions of language and discretion.”
Photographs
Untitled. 1960-1965. Gelatin silver print. Edition of 5. Stamped w/ Artist's Estate Stamp.19 x 15 inches.
About the Artist
When Mansouri was a child, he accompanied his grandmother to the local street market, considered a community meeting place and bazaar, where he met a photographer who had a studio in the back of a grocery store. The photographer hired him and through an apprenticeship, Mansouri learned the craft of photography. Eventually, he left to open his own studio in the back of a barber shop, dedicated to portraiture. After years of documenting everyday people in the region of Algeria, Mansouri inadvertently created a photographic archive, a legacy of images representing people and tribes rarely photographed. During this period, Algeria went through war and political turmoil as the country fought for independence from France; however the stability of Mansouri’s studio was evident in the thousands of people he captured.
Untitled. 1960-1965. Gelatin silver prints. Edition of 5. Stamped w/ Artist's Estate Stamp. 19 x 15 inches.
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