The work of Sara Sadik (Bordeaux, 1994) contains contemporary narratives on life in the cities and their suburbs, and on a developing urban youth culture that expresses the wishes, desires and social and political demands for representation, access to the public space and the right to the individual and collective expression of cultural and identity diversity.

The title of this piece – ‘Khtobtogone’ – is a quotation from a video shared on Snapchat in 2019 of an argument between French rappers. The word comes from Arabic and means to ask for ‘a woman’s hand in marriage’. It is inspired by what the artist calls beurcore, the working-class youth culture of the Maghrebi diaspora in France and particularly Marseille.

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The piece tells the story of the love of a young man, ZINE, interweaving romantic and fraternal love as expressed by his friendships and family bonds. Exploring the world of videogames, Sadik also deconstructs gender stereotypes in a contemplation on the masculinity of young immigrants from North Africa and the French suburbs. She examines the dehumanised bodies and the different forms of social, racial and political violence, and how this violence affects their lives and mental health, as well as the way they are perceived.  

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The artist combines video, performance, installation and photography in her body of work to explore the manifestations of beurcore. Her references cover music, language, fashion, social media and science fiction.

These narratives, in which the artist regularly appears, frequently document and analyse the social and aesthetic symbols associated with this culture. Based on a semiological and sociological analysis of beurness, Sadik appropriates these social stereotypes to deconstruct them and then reintegrate them into fictional stories.