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Hicham Benohoud, a Moroccan photographer born in Marrakech in 1968, is renowned for his surreal and socio-political photographic works that critique Moroccan society. His project, The Classroom, has recently been published in a new book by Loose Joints, a London-based independent publisher and design studio specializing in contemporary art and photography books.
This collection features staged black-and-white images of children in classrooms, sitting at desks piled on top of each other, or dressed in self-made costumes with their limbs hidden by cardboard tubes, while the classrooms are adorned with art supplies. These images both celebrate youth and critique the restrictive education system of the time, highlighting its shortcomings.
The Classroom, Hicham Benohoud
Benohoud's work is rooted in his experiences as a high school art teacher in Morocco. His students, often from disadvantaged backgrounds, were trapped by the constraints of their socio-economic conditions, which he highlights in his photography. As a teacher he installed a makeshift studio, in which he photographed his students. In The Classroom, he criticizes the failure of the educational system to provide true freedom for youth.
The Classroom, Hicham Benohoud
Benohoud's works, such as The Hole, continue this exploration of societal entrapment. In these images, individuals in Marrakech’s old medina are captured with surreal elements, such as people hanging upside down from holes in their ceilings. His photographs reflect the struggle of individuals trapped in their circumstances, a powerful metaphor for broader societal issues, including inequality and the widening gap between the rich and the poor.
Throughout his career, Benohoud has emphasized the importance of freedom of expression. «For society to move forward, it is necessary for it to allow its citizens this freedom of expression without any value judgment», he told the British Journal of Photography.
