KARIM EL MAKTAFI

Karim El Maktafi is an Italian-Moroccan photographer who was born in Desenzano del Garda (Italy) in 1992. In 2013 he graduated from the Italian Institute of Photography in Milan, while in 2016 he obtained a one-year scholarship at Fabrica, Benetton’s communication research centre in Treviso. During his residency, Karim created the “Hayati” project: this was the winner of the PhMuseum 2017 grant – New Generation Prize, was a finalist for the CAP Prize 2017 (Contemporary African Photography Prize) and took second prize at the Kassel Dummy Award 2018. Between 2017 and 2018 he had a mentorship with the American photographer Maggie Steber (VII Agency), who followed him in the development of various projects. In 2018 he received a Magnum Photos scholarship, together with Alex Majoli. Karim works on long-term projects in Italy and Morocco and his photographic research explores the concept of identity and belonging through documentary and portrait photography. His work has been exhibited at La Triennale Museum in Milan, the Museum in Der Kulturbrauerei in Berlin, the Pavillon Populaire in Montpellier, the Macro Testaccio Museum in Rome and in assorted photography festivals in Europe. His work has also appeared in numerous publications, including The Washington Post Magazine, National Geographic USA, Internazionale, Vice, GEO and Vogue