Photographer and artistic director at just 26 years old, Ghalia Kriaa, Tunisian who arrived in Paris 5 years ago, shares with us a part of her daily life and her favorite addresses of the moment. From Paris to Tunis, discover her retro-acidulated universe without further delay.
Your job through your eyes
Can you introduce yourself in a few words?
My name is Ghalia Kriaa, I am 26 years old, I am a photographer and artistic director based in Paris.
Where did you grow up?
I am originally from Tunisia, I grew up in Tunis and I left the family cocoon at 18. After 4 years spent in Montreal, I arrived in Paris in September 2019.
What do you like most about your job?
It is my greatest vector of expression and it is this freedom to create, to imagine, to claim that really drives me. What I like most is to bring together all my passions and inspirations through photography. Whether it is fashion, music, cinema or social subjects that are close to my heart; photography has allowed me to express myself when words fail, it puts my thoughts into images.
What is the project you are most proud of?
Maybe the project I did with Censored Magazine in my hometown in Tunis. It was my first real artistic project that I was able to do there. There is also the campaign we did together for Seconde Vue in 2022, I think it's a beautiful project and we really had a blast visually speaking!
Your Paris through your eyes
What are your 3 favorite Parisian addresses?
- The Bouche and Haikara restaurants in the 11th, good atmosphere and good dishes. The tofu at Haikara is to die for!
- The Yvon Lambert bookstore (which is right next to your Marais store, by the way), I love their selection and the editions are always pretty crazy.
- La Gare - jazz club, in the 19th!
And one last one because I also love this address:
- The Bookbar of the Grand Amour Hotel
What is your favorite vintage address?
Second View OF COURSE!!
What is your recent favorite discovery?
I had always heard about it but I only started reading it recently: the Akira manga. It's crazy and the edition is magnificent!
As for my taste buds, I recently tasted an incredible black sesame flan from Aunreve. I recommend it wholeheartedly to all flan lovers.
Your Tunis through your eyes
What are your 3 favorite Tunisian addresses?
- The beach!!
- The Punic Restaurant
- The medina, to stroll and get inspired.
- The Ginger/Tangerine Club in Gammarth, there is always very good music.
What is your favorite vintage address?
All thrift stores in general. Nothing beats the Tunis thrift store; these are large markets where there are only second-hand clothes that can be found in all the neighborhoods of Tunis and everywhere in Tunisia in general. It's paradise! There is also the Souk Machine brand which has a very good selection.
What is your recent favorite discovery?
The Tunisian gourmet restaurant called Cult, the menu changes every season. It is a real delight, I recommend you to taste their entire menu with your eyes closed.
Glasses Through Your Eyes
Glasses that have left their mark on you?
I would say that these are my Gucci glasses that my friends gave me for my 18th birthday and that I still wear!! They are an ultra colorful pair, pink with mirrored lenses of the same color, that I can wear with just about everything!
What personality would you associate with a pair of glasses?
The big white oval glasses that Kurt Cobain wore were a part of my childhood.
What are your current favorite frames in the store?
I noticed that the Thierry Muglers from the 90s and the Courrèges from the 2000s are often my crushes at Seconde Vue! All these slightly thin, rectangular frames, for prescription or sunglasses.
