The Franco-Algerian artist Adel Abdessemed fled his home country at the age of twenty-three after the assassination of Ahmed Asselah, the director of the School of Fine Arts in Algiers, by the Armed Islamic Group (GIA). His work often employs poetic juxtapositions to explore larger themes. The sculpture Ocean View (2005) is comprised of simple materials (Styrofoam, Plexiglas, and one-dollar bills) in an equally economic arrangement – the sheets of Styrofoam are stacked, while US Dollar bills folded in the shape of ships are situated on a clear divider. Giovanni Carreri, the director at the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, describes the sculpture “as a mocking metaphor for the circulation of capital […] this work seems to evoke the theories of [Scottish philosopher and economist] Adam Smith, who felt that the seafaring trade, with its many risks was a perfect embodiment of the capitalist spirit. And yet Ocean View shows a calm sea, serenely crossed by origami-style toy boats. This image of innocent, smooth sailing beneath the benevolent eye of the god of trade is a parody, an imagined projection.”[1]

[1] Artist’s website: https://www.adelabdessemed.com/selected-works/ocean-view/