SALIM BAYRI, Naturalisation, 2019
Salim Bayri experienced a mixture of cultures in his youth: "It's about a Berber population with an Arab culture and a Spanish and French colonial influence, the whole thing painted with a Muslim coat while Unilever shampoo is sold in the market on the back of a donkey. Past and present are superposed."
More than life-size, "Naturalization" features Salim Bayri's alter ego Sad Ali. He has closed his eyes (is he dreaming?) and is lying half on his side, the grass growing on his upper arm. Some didactic arrows indicate that something is wrong. On the right, a ladder leads to two real Moroccan loafs in a plastic bag baked by Salim's auntie.
As a migrant, one can request to become a citizen of the host country. They call it naturalisation process, but, what are you before you are naturalised? It shows Sad Ali walking around a white disk with AR (Augmented Reality image) and exploring the environment in which peculiar objects appear when you move the lid of the tajine to the left or right.