Arbi Jaballah explores perceptions, encounters, feelings, and relationships—with a sensitive, charged subject matter: his works confront us with skinheads, their self-image, and how they are perceived by others. He creates his images by researching history, context, and empiricism. The first skinheads were a youth movement protesting against bourgeois society. They were music enthusiasts, multicultural, saw themselves as honest hard workers, and distanced themselves from snobs and hippies. It was not until years later that skinhead groups emerged that were racist and right-wing extremist. Their rise coincided with economic crises. Some groups remained largely apolitical. Others saw themselves as apolitical or left-wing and inclusive forces—such as the group “Sharp” (Skinheads Against Racial Prejudice).

In his artistic approach, Jaballah often deals with what he calls “outsiders, subcultures, and contradictions.”