Yasmine Hatimi

Born in 1986 in Casablanca, she works as a photographer in her hometown. In 2004, she left Casablanca to study cinematography and photography in Madrid.

After nine years, she returned to Morocco with the intention of rediscovering her country through her photographic work. An eternal dreamer, her work is somewhere between melancholy and poetry, trying to convey an atmosphere inspired by her inner universe. Her latest work focuses on young Moroccan masculinity, which she approaches with a certain dreamy romanticism.

Her work has been shown at festivals and venues such as Photo España, Photo Saint Germain, Alliance Française de Safi, Festival D’Arles, Middle East Institute in Washington DC and more.
Yasmine was part of the Koz collective, founded by four Moroccan visual artists working on long-term projects and sharing a passion for storytelling (M’hammed Kilito, Imane Djamil and Seif Kousmate).

“Yasmine Hatimi’s practice is one shaped by emotions felt from within. Using photography, archive materials and text, her practice often depicts intimate and unspoken facets of contemporary Moroccan culture. Her photographs are poetic interpretations of her world and counter narratives to hegemonic and orientalist representations of Morocco.

In her latest project, La chasse aux papillons she continues her exploration on masculinity in Morocco through a series of black and white portraits of young men.

Through initial conversations with the photographer, the young men are shot during moments at ease, vulnerability and tenderness. This work is an attempt to challenge dominant representations of Arab men, shifting the gaze through her romantic shots.

Through her practice, she wishes to convey a provocation and dialogue where de viewer does not expect it to be and to break invisible boundaries and preconceptions our societies often hold onto.

She brings nuances and complexities to each subject matter with an urge to bring to the fore each person’s individuality and singularity.”

Text by Cindy Sissokho