In Mons Ferratus, French-Algerian photographer Karim Kal, winner of the Prix Henri Cartier-Bresson 2023, explores the nights of Haute-Kabylie. Located in northern Algeria, this mountainous territory is, in the collective imagination, the symbol of a certain form of resistance to imperialism, colonization and terror throughout the ages.
Here, Karim Kal focuses on the urban landscapes, architecture and vegetation that shape this territory. The grandson of Kabyles, the photographer does not claim an identity quest through this work, but sees it as a documentary practice in its own right.

Influenced by the vocabulary of abstract painting of the second half of the 20th century, Kal photographs mainly at night, using artificial lighting. This process gives him a unique photographic style, enabling him to sculpt his compositions by isolating one or more elements in the image with architectural rigor. By photographing these places steeped in history in fragments, Karim Kal proposes a reflection on the territory. “We accentuate this mythological effect by working at night,” he emphasizes.

The book presents a set of five photographic series entitled Crêtes, Sols, Gravats, Lentisques and Sutures, structured around two major texts: an interview between Karim Kal and Clément Chéroux, Director of the Henri Cartier-Bresson Foundation, and an essay by Émilie Goudal, PhD in art history. An extract from Mes indépendances: Chroniques 2010-2016 by Kamel Daoud, winner of the Prix Goncourt 2024, introduces the book.