Neïl Beloufa studies the humanities at The Renaissance Society

The Renaissance Society at University of Chicago recently opened a solo exhibition of the work of Neïl Beloufa. The exhibition's title, Humanities, reflects upon Beloufa's own artistic practice, characterized by an all-encompassing interest in diverse modes of creative expression such as film, sculpture, installations, and social and collective experiments.

For this occasion, The Renaissance Society commissioned a new work by Beloufa, who created the installation Growth (2024). In it, the artist ruminates on the power that individual storytelling has on how large-scale propaganda is constructed and disseminated. He likewise takes a look at the processes which are causing the gamification of society and the proliferation of immersive art experiences. Growth leads viewers through an interactive multimedia system that enables them to ensconce themselves into their own success stories. Beloufa lays bare the incongruity between these virtual imaginings and the less glamorous reality that surrounds us.

In conjunction with this new commission The Renaissance Society is also exhibiting Beloufa's work Global Agreement (2018), a sculptural video installation which tackles the perception of discourse in modern warfare from the perspective of soldiers who have been stationed around the globe. Beloufa analyzes their accounts which frame the phenomenon of war in a different mode from that peddled by Hollywood or the army itself. The juxtaposition of these two works is a stark reflection on and reminder of the present tension between extreme individualism and global discord.

Neïl Beloufa is a French-Algerian artist whose multifaceted practice touches upon the themes of geopolitics, technology, urbanism and ideology in layered projects expressed through video, sculpture, social participation and more. His works have been shown at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Pirelli HangarBicocca in Milan, Palais de Tokyo in Paris and many other institutions. Humanities is open through November 10, 2024 at The Renaissance Society. For more information on this and other events refer to their site.