Seif Kousmate (b. 1988, Essaouira), based in Morocco. Co-founder of KOZ collective.
Seif is a self-taught photographer who has developed a visual vocabulary that stands between documentary photography and the poetry of fine art photography.
After a career as a Project Manager in the civil engineering sector, he dedicated himself professionally to photography in 2016. Since then, he has been working on different visual projects in Africa including migration and youth. He has worked for three years on the immigration of sub-Saharans on the land border between Morocco and Europe, more specifically on Mount Gourougou where he spent several weeks in immersion. He also worked on traditional slavery in Mauritania and Rwandan Youth in 2018 and 2019. Seif has been working since 2020 on his project Waha, a multi-dimensional essay that captures the consequences of climate change and globalization on the oases ecosystem in Morocco.
A National Geographic Explorer since 2018, He was selected as a 6×6 Global Talent Program by World Press Photo in 2020 and is one of Magnum Foundation and Prince Claus’ grantees. His work has been exhibited in Europe and Africa; it has also been published in international magazines and newspapers such as The York Times, Newsweek, The Guardian, El Pais among others.