Some photographers use photography to document, and then there are those who use it to tell stories about life and heritage. Karim El Maktafi, born in Desenzano del Garda to Moroccan parents, definitely falls into the latter category. His is a constant visual exploration that begins at a border — the one between two cultures — and moves along a subtle line made of memories, roots, perceptions, and choices. Being a “cultural hybrid” wasn’t just the starting point of his identity, but the key to developing a photographic language capable of expressing the invisible.
In his artist statement, Karim speaks of a “strange privilege”: the experience of straddling two worlds and consciously drawing from both their defining traits. His images thus become mirrors — deep portraits that don’t ask the subject where they come from, but what they’ve chosen to carry with them. In this dialogue between Italy and Morocco, between taboos and freedoms, Karim builds a documentary aesthetic that is also a political act: showing differences as gifts, not obstacles.
After graduating from the Italian Institute of Photography in Milan in 2013, Karim joined Fabrica, Benetton’s communication research center. It was there that Hayati, an intimate project that earned him awards and international recognition — from PHMuseum to the Kassel Dummy Award — was born. From that point on, his path has been enriched by significant collaborations, including a mentorship with Maggie Steber (VII Agency) and a Magnum Photos scholarship with Alex Majoli. Yet his trajectory remains consistent: to explore the concept of belonging, with a delicate, profound, and never intrusive gaze.
His photographs have been exhibited at institutions like the Triennale di Milano, MACRO Testaccio in Rome, Pavillon Populaire in Montpellier, and the Museum in der Kulturbrauerei in Berlin. Still, more than the spotlight, it is the voice behind each image that strikes a chord — that of someone who has never stopped questioning the meaning of home.
Published in outlets such as The Washington Post Magazine, National Geographic USA, Internazionale, Vice, and GEO, Karim El Maktafi continues to move between Italy and Morocco, letting photography guide him — like a compass attuned to the shifts of identity.
