Picture Perfect - Beauty through a Contemporary Lens

Halaqat, which is the Arabic term for ‘multiple links and circles’, supports the new exhibition "Picture Perfect - Beauty through a Contemporary Lens" at Bozar.

After exploring love in 2024, physical beauty is the second thematic exhibition at Bozar focusing on what motivates us as humans. Through the lens of photography and video, made from the 1960s to today, this exhibition explores how artists depict and challenge established norms of who is considered beautiful. Unveiling the pressures and excess of what it means to be beautiful today, the works in this exhibition offer a diverse range of propositions, from the critical to the emancipatory.
Bozar Arcade, the space dedicated to interactive digital artworks and video games in Bozar, will be integrated into the exhibition.

With works by:

• Sarah Amrani (Netherlands-Morocco): photography, film, and found footage exploring social media and tech’s impact on beauty perception
• Ibrahim Ahmed (Kuwait–Egypt–US): tackling history, masculinity, and gender via photography and collage
• Yumna Al-Arashi (Yemen–Egypt–US): still and moving images critiquing how visuals shape the world we live in
• Moshtari Hilal (Afghanistan–Germany): visual artist, writer and curator tackling issues of identity and beauty

and Francesca Allen, Susan Anderson, Eleanor Antin, Alexandra Barancovà & Jae Perrins, Baloji, Valérie Belin, François Bellabas, Kwame Brathwaite, Nakeya Brown, Juno Calypso, William Cobbing, John Coplans, EliCortiñas, Nicola Costantino, Laure Cottin Stefanelli, Mélanie Courtinat, Sara Cwynar, Rineke Dijkstra, Philippe Durand, Sylvie Fleury, Bryce Galloway, Anne Horel, Sanja Iveković, Yuki Kihara, Sandra Lazzarini, Ethel Lilienfeld, Linder, Lucy&Bart, James McColl, Ana Mendieta, Haley Morris-Cafiero, Zanele Muholi, Zed Nelson, J.D. ‘Okhai Oijekere, ORLAN, Frida Orupabo, Guillaume Pauli, Andrés Pérez, Cara Phillips, Momo Pixel, Angelo Plessas, Marilou Poncin, Chantal Regnault, Pipilotti Rist, Martha Rosler, Errol Stanley Sawyer, Cindy Sherman, Marianna Simnett, Sin Wai Kin, Ruofu Sun & Alice Yu, Ryudai Takano, Amélie Testenoire – Lafayette, Maria Tsagkari, Kristina Varaksina, Hiroshi Watanabe, Hannah Wilke, Hank Willis Thomas, Garry Winogrand, Aviya Wyse.

More about Halaqat:
Halaqat provides a space for cultural actors from Arab and European countries to artistically reflect on topics of care, exploring them through a gender lens. Care is a concept which is deeply related to gender topics in both regions and tackles the question of gender equity and sensitivity and the power dynamics in an inclusive and intersectional way. Launched in 2021, the project fosters exchange between Europe and Arab countries.

The new iteration of Halaqat (2024-2027) is funded by the European Union and implemented by the Goethe-Institut. It will run for 32 months until spring 2027 with activities in Belgium, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and Morocco.