It was only in 2019 that Mohamed Bourouissa started shooting fashion—with a campaign for Louis Vuitton Men’s, which was then helmed by Virgil Abloh—but the elements of style have been a central concern for him since the start of his career. From 2002 through 2003, the Algeria-born, France-raised multidisciplinary artist made portraits of strangers in the Châtelet–Les Halles area in Paris, a major congregation point for youth from working-class and immigrant suburbs—and therefore a hub of street style. His artistic lodestar was Jamel Shabazz, the great photographer of New York City’s hip-hop heyday. But Bourouissa had personal experience with his subjects too: He had grown up in Courbevoie, one such immigrant banlieue, and had run with graffiti crews.
A tragic news event in 2005 propelled Bourouissa in a new direction. Zyed Benna and Bouna Traoré, two teenagers, were electrocuted at a power transformer outside of Paris while running from the police. The uprising that ensued, and its repression and media coverage, brought to light how much France’s mainstream viewed Black and Brown youth through a prism of prejudice, ignorance, and fear. By way of response, Bourouissa began shooting fictional scenes with friends and acquaintances, his compositions informed both by his intimate understanding of the neighborhoods in which they lived and by the historical canon of painting.
“Périphérique” (2005 to 2008), the resulting series of photo tableaux, was Bourouissa’s breakthrough, launching a career that has seen him included in the 2011 Venice Biennale, awarded the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize in 2020, and given a major survey exhibition at the Palais de Tokyo, the influential contemporary art museum in Paris, this year. In the United States, he’s known for “Horse Day” (2013 to 2017), a photo and film project made with Black urban riders in Philadelphia. But his practice spans many forms—photography, sculpture, drawing, sound, installation, and film. Lately, he has leaned into theater: In 2023, he directed Quartier de Femmes, a one-woman show performed by Lou-Adriana Bouziouane and written by Zazon Castro, based on workshops they held with incarcerated women in a prison near Lille. “My practice is quite open—directed toward social issues, but not only that,” says Bourouissa, 46. “There’s a human dimension, a political dimension, and a strong aesthetic dimension, too.” In his work, people script and narrate their lives rather than submitting to a documentary gaze, and staging—mise-en-scène—becomes a method of liberation.
Bourouissa drew on theater for this commission for W. He held the shoot in his studio, an industrial space in Gennevilliers, near Paris, making his workspace, in effect, a stage set. His art and materials appear in the background. “I didn’t want to go all in with fantasy,” he says. “I wanted to stay with the model and atelier”—infusing the space with narrative potential rather than imposing a destination.
On the day of the shoot, Bourouissa invited members of an amateur theater company in Gennevilliers to attend and mingle; some appear in the background of these images. It’s a local group that he’s been supporting as they prepare for their first performance, next year. “Inclusion and integration have been an aspect of my work for years,” he explains. “This was a way to say, ‘Come, see what a shoot is like, what it’s like to pose, to photograph.’ It was a way to share a moment and some knowledge.”
Tenney wears a Fendi dress; Dior rings; vintage sneakers from Les Mauvais Garçons, Paris. In the background is Bourouissa’s artwork Pour une Poignée de Dollars, 2019.
Ajus Samuel wears a Gucci dress and bralette; Hugo Kreit earrings. She is surrounded by Bourouissa’s piece Aluminium, 2024.
Tenney wears a Dior top, dress, and gloves; stylist’s own tights. Behind her is Bourouissa’s Grille, 2024.
Samuel wears a Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello romper, earrings, and sandals.
From left: Samuel wears a Balenciaga gown. Tenney wears a Balenciaga dress and pantaboots. To the left is Bourouissa’s Aluminium, 2024, and in the back is Pour une Poignée de Dollars, 2019.
Tenney wears a Burberry trenchcoat, sweater, pants, and shoes. She is seated on Bourouissa’s Chair, 2024.
Samuel wears a Chanel dress; stylist’s own earrings.
Tenney wears an Hermès jumpsuit and bracelet. Behind her is Bourouissa’s Grille 2, 2024.
Samuel wears an Akris gown; Our Legacy sweater; vintage sneakers from Les Mauvais Garçons, Paris; stylist’s own necklace.
Lulu Tenney wears a McQueen by Seán McGirr dress and shoes; stylist’s own socks. In the background is Mohamed Bourouissa’s artwork Aluminium, 2024
Hair by Karim Belghiran for Phyto at Total World; makeup by Aurore Gibrien for Victoria Beckham Beauty at Bryant Artists; manicures by Alex Feller for Manucurist at Artlist Paris. Models: Lulu Tenney at Lumien Creative; Ajus Samuel at Elite Model Management. Casting by Samuel Ellis Scheinman. Artwork setup by Mohamed Bourouissa, with help from William Waquet and Tom Bacou. Mohamed Bourouissa is represented by galleries Mennour, Paris, and Blum, Los Angeles.
Photographed at the artist’s studio in gennevilliers, france. Extras: Ardenne Sullivan, Hania Chebli, Hlimi Marwan, Tall Madany, ZINEDINE-Zyad El idrissi; Produced by Lotti Projects; Executive Producer: Mathilde Carlotti; Producer: Morgan Cartagena; Studio Manager at Studio Mohamed Bourouissa: Margot Nguyen; Photography assistants: William Waquet, Tom Bacou; Digital Technicians: Rebecca Lièvre and Emma Lopez at Imagin Productions; PostProduction: Imagin Productions; Imagin Productions: Edouard Malfettes, Samir Omar; Fashion assistants: Manvi Bhatnagar, Martina Ortmark, Francesca Iancu; Hair Assistant: Pol Guarné Ayuso; Makeup Assistant: Garance Dufresne; Manicure Assistant: Emeline Morellet.
