Mehdi Sefrioui, PCA Alumni presents his work at the Artificial Intelligence Arts Exhibition!

PCA is delighted to share that Mehdi Sefrioui, former PCA student who pursued a certificate in Photography in 2013/14 is currently a Curator and an exhibiting artist at the Artificial Intelligence Arts Exhibition (AIAE) at the American Arts Center in Casablanca, Morocco.

For the first time in Morocco, a collective exhibition showcases the works of artists utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) in their creative process. Running in Casablanca from December 9th to the end of January 2024, it initiates a conversation about the creative power of AI.

Biography
Mehdi Sefrioui worked as a fashion photographer in Paris for nearly 10 years, where he collaborated with top African designers and creators. In 2019, he settled in Tangier, his hometown, driven by the desire to have a cultural and artistic impact locally. Mehdi has since worked as a photographer for local and international brands, as well as serving as an artistic consultant, curator, and art director for various institutions. Simultaneously, Mehdi has developed a career as an artist-photographer, drawing inspiration from oral, visual, literary, historical, and archaeological archives. Using essential and sometimes lesser-known references from Moroccan culture, his artistic approach questions and redefines identities and the national narrative. «The future that was» currently exhibited at the American Arts Center in Casablanca, uses artificial intelligence (text to image, image to image) to rethink and rediscover a local, indigenous imagination, bringing it into the present. Mehdi Sefrioui’s work has been showcased in numerous platforms and events such as the Lagos Photo Festival, Dyptik magazine, the Afrodyssée Festival in Geneva, the Fotografiska Museum in Stockholm, the Afropunk festival in Paris, Jeune Afrique magazine, Okay Africa Magazine and more. In 2023, Mehdi graduated from the TAQAFIAT cultural management training in Morocco. Locally, Mehdi Sefrioui is actively involved as a founding member of the ARTISTS I 40 collective, a member of the board of the Al Boughaz association, and a member of the ÊTRE ICI collective.

www.mehdisefrioui.art @mehdisefrioui.art

We recently had the opportunity to reconnect with Mehdi and reflect on his experience at PCA.

“I remember my time at PCA as a time of professionalization. I had just finished my Business Masters in Marketing and Communication in Paris and knew that was not going to be my career path even after a successful internship at Art Partner, the Art agency in Paris. I was already working as a fashion photographer and wanted to pursue precisely that. PCA helped me test and trust myself. With the help of professors such as Michael Daks who was our Fashion Photography professor, I was able to really envision myself as a professional photographer on a high level and not just as an amateur photographer. Professional opportunities offered by the professors, access to professional photography gear and studio, and collaborations with the design department also helped shape the career I wanted.”