Sabrina Charehbili

About

Sabrina Charehbili (1992) is a photographer based in Rotterdam. In 2023, she graduated from Fotoacademie Amsterdam with her project Último Islote (The Last Island), in which she transforms plastic waste into ‘a new reality, bringing together its organic and inorganic elements.’ She received the DuPho SO’24 Student Award for this graduation project.

Sabrina has roots in both the Netherlands and Morocco, spread widely across two continents and not tied to any specific culture. This rich heritage in diverse cultures gives her the freedom to move between different worlds and develop unique stories.

Her work is an ongoing quest for meaning in the world around her, exploring and investigating the interdependence between humans and nature. Sabrina’s photography reflects this relationship and portrays the transformation of established concepts and associations.

Inspired by emotions, observations, and experiences, Sabrina creates visual stories that blur the lines between reality and imagination. Her visual language is clear, innovative, colorful, and bold, with an impact that is both striking and compelling.

Sabrina’s work has appeared in Pf Fotografie Magazine, Focus Magazine, NRC, and Het Financieele Dagblad, among others. She is represented by Galerie Helder.

Artist Statement

As a photographer, I carefully observe the world around me and reflect on the interrelationships between people, nature, and the environment.

I aim to break through standard representations of significant social themes, such as environmental pollution. By depicting these themes in a light-hearted, informal, and visually powerful way, I add my own substantive and aesthetic twist. I strive to tell a layered story, highlighting the issue without explicitly labeling it as a problem.

My intention is to inspire people to engage with these challenging topics in a positive way. One example is my photo series on plastic waste, shot on the picturesque coasts of Alicante and Tenerife. In this series, I transform plastic and the beach into dynamic, colorful allegories, creating a new reality. Changed by nature, the plastic takes on a new aesthetic identity and meaning, inviting us to look at it differently: to see plastic not only as waste, but also as potential for a new beginning.

With my work, I aim to transform and enrich everyday reality, revealing hidden layers of meaning, emotion, and beauty, while inviting others to experience the world from a new perspective.