Adel Abdessemed bas been one of the major figures in contemporaty art since he entered the international creative world in the early 2000. In 2012, after recent exhibitions in Nagoya, Venice, London, Tel Aviv, Berlin, and New York, his work is featured in a large exhibition at the Centre Georges Pompidou. Well-known for his capacity to produce images generally considered violent, he seems to appeal to the immediate reaction of the viewer. However, under closer observation, his work appears to be of great cultural and intellectual complexity. In a conversation with Italian art critic Pier Luigi Tazzi, Abdessemed explains his personal and creative background to his work - a background that had been left unknown.