Adel Abdessemed Je suis innocent

2012

Digital C-print

230 x 177 cm (90 9/16 x 69 11/16 in.)

Adel Abdessemed is pictured standing, in front view, swallowed in flames coming out of a tin on the ground and spreading towards the street. His arms crossed, he doesn't budge and remains stoic, with a look of defiance.

Taken in the Parisian street where his studio is located, Adel Abdessemed's photograph Je suis innocent attests to the artist's interest for the road, which he considers as the place of contingency par excellence. There, he stages scenes that are reminiscent of obscurantist medieval religious practices, the ordeal by fire and the divine judgment, which he confronts with contemporary references such as the Turkish Revolution and the 2010 Arab Spring.

A highly expressive artwork, Adel Adbessemed's Je suis innocent was first presented by the Pinault Collection in the exhibition Dancing With Myself at the Museum Folkwang in Essen (2016).
Exhibitions