Algerian-born interdisciplinary artist Faycal Baghriche often situates his projects in public spaces, exploring common rituals and patterns of social behaviour. His public intervention works are playful, anarchic and seek to disrupt the set rhythm of contemporary urban life to subvert conventional expectations.

In his video The Message Project, Baghriche re-frames Syrian filmmaker Moustapha Akkad’s 1977 epic film production “The Message”, depicting the story of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and the birth of Islam. To reach a broader audience, two versions of the film were shot, one in Arabic with well-known Arab actors and the other in English with a Hollywood cast. Both followed the same script, set and costumes, and the portrayals were captured verbatim in the two languages. In his project, Baghriche splices the two versions into one, creating a bilingual conversation between the actors. The work highlights how popular culture is categorised according to narrow definitions of target audiences. The seamless dialogue that results unites both the actors and intended viewers.

Alluding to the universalism of cinema, Baghriche creates a space for encounter and dialogue that attempts to bridge two worlds toward one unified message. Baghriche now lives and works in Paris and has exhibited internationally.