There are properties that we inhabit, properties that we yearn for, and houses that we craft in moments of peace and belonging. But, for an artist, there’s a singular, tangible homeland: that of tales.
Within the inventive course of, artists stay via tales, drawing from reminiscences of the previous, current, and future. At the same time as historical landscapes and traditions fade, storytelling can revive them. The self isn’t a hard and fast entity, however a vessel via which better expressions, similar to feelings or non secular states, movement.
For Moroccan artist Mohammed El Hajoui, this vessel is an umbilical twine connecting him to the reminiscences of his roots and origins. For him, artwork isn’t merely a static portrait on a wall; it’s a journey that transports us into his personal realm of tales, the place time ceases to exist and previous and current intertwine.
Via his 3D installations, which blur the boundaries between artwork and house, he brings to life the misplaced poetry and great thing about Arab indigenous methods of life.
With a BA diploma in graphic design and artwork course from the esteemed NABA in Milan, El Hajoui has used artwork as a love letter to his tradition. He highlights the small, defining particulars of cultural identification, whether or not it’s one thing so simple as a door or as symbolic as an olive tree.
Indigenous Arab tradition
As a toddler rising up in Morocco, El Hajoui was deeply touched by the great thing about Arabic tradition, which was at all times imbued with meditative and non secular parts. From the intricate patterns on a carpet to the architectural designs of a door, each element held symbolic that means and related to a deeper cultural worth.
For instance, a carpet is greater than an ornamental piece; it serves as an invite for visitors and household, symbolizing many every day rituals of Arab life. It performs a central function in varied actions, similar to sharing meals on a roundtable, performing prayers, and celebrating ancestral festivals.
With out the carpet, these rituals can be incomplete, making it an integral a part of cultural practices.
“I draw a number of inspiration from my environment and the atmosphere I’m in,” El Hajoui explains to Egyptian Streets. “You probably have a small sheet of paper, your imagery and content material will probably be restricted. Nevertheless, if the paper is ten occasions bigger, you’ll end up pondering on a bigger scale, aiming to fill your entire house.”
Traditionally, indigenous Arab tradition has usually been misunderstood, with some international writers and vacationers similar to Wilfred Thesiger, a British traveler and navy officer, describing it as missing in structure. He portrayed Arab indigenous in his ebook Arabian Sands (1959) life as considered one of excessive simplicity, the place solely primary requirements—meals, drink, clothes, and shelter—have been deemed important for survival within the harsh desert atmosphere.
In distinction, different writers and artists have acknowledged the symbolism and wonder throughout the tradition, seeing it as a realm of transcendental magnificence and spirituality. Richard F. Burton, nineteenth-century traveler to the Arab area and translator of The Arabian Nights (1704), described the area as a “a fairy-land lit with a light-weight which by no means shines on different soils or seas.”
It’s this type of magnificence, spirit, and depth that El Hajoui finds in Arab indigenous tradition. For him, artwork is a transcendent and meditative course of that connects him to the environments of indigenous individuals. From his alternative of supplies to his inventive course of, each element and aspect embodies the spirit of indigenous Arabs.
“I’ve a deep attachment to my tradition, land, and household, and I fear that I would regularly and unintentionally lose contact with my origins,” he says. “It’s important for me to maintain my tradition alive in my work. I really feel a accountability to future generations in Italy, as if my artwork is related by an umbilical twine to my roots and heritage.”
El Hajoui’s course of is exclusive in its deep give attention to reminiscence, and the function of reminiscence in preserving each heritage and the feelings tied to at least one’s homeland. By drawing on snippets of reminiscences from his childhood spent dwelling together with his household in an Arab family, El Hajoui retraces his experiences and connects them right into a cohesive narrative.
His narrative bridges indigenous Arab artwork with trendy 3D installations, creating an area that transports viewers again in time. “My purpose is to immerse the viewer in my artwork, not simply visually, but in addition by inviting them to stroll round it and forge a deeper connection,” he says.
El Hajoui’s current challenge, Radici (2023) which he exhibited as a finalist within the Arte Laguna Prize in Venice, Italy, exemplifies this method, specializing in the symbolic significance of the door in Arab tradition. For Arabs, the door transcends a mere design because it represents openness, hospitality, and generosity.
Opening the door for somebody and welcoming them in is a gesture of connection—a manner of reaching out from one particular person to a different.
“Within the Arab world, the door is extremely essential. Take into account the grand mosques—the development of the door is at all times given particular consideration. Many individuals even embellish their very own residence doorways with vibrant colours or intricate designs. The door is the very first thing a visitor sees earlier than being welcomed into a house,” El Hajoui says.
Whereas drawing varied geometric patterns and portray the tiny sq. shapes inside them, El Hajoui enters a deeply meditative state, feeling a way of concord as all of the shapes come collectively.
The geometric patterns themselves evoke non secular and meditative emotions, however the course of of making them can also be a meditative act. “Making Islamic patterns is like transporting me to a spot of worship, as a result of Arabic artwork is aniconic artwork, it doesn’t symbolize deities, and for that reason we are able to discover it in worship areas and in small and enormous mosques world wide,” he says.
Viewing the finished artwork set up evokes a way of awe and reflection, very like the traditional settings of indigenous Arab communities, which additionally impressed tranquility and peace.
“After I create an artwork set up inside an area, it transforms into a spot of reflection for me,” he provides. “It permits individuals to not solely observe but in addition uncover their very own moments of peace, tranquility, and serenity.”
Inventive Activism
Some cultural symbols are overt and clearly seen, like nationwide anthems, geometric patterns, or songs. Others are extra refined, like whispers that will not at all times be heard or understood, however nonetheless function a language for speaking a selected tradition.
For El Hajoui, tradition is conveyed not solely via seen symbols, similar to distinctive geometric patterns, but in addition via the feelings native individuals affiliate with explicit areas, a chunk of land, or perhaps a tree—just like the deep significance of the olive tree for Palestinians.
In his current challenge, Ardna (2024) —an Arabic time period that means “our land”— which was exhibited on the inventive residency at Centrale Fies, Italy, El Hajoui creates an set up that includes an olive tree surrounded by a carpet of ash. This ash, which envelops and nurtures the tree’s roots, additionally kinds geometric patterns harking back to a keffiyeh, a logo of Palestinian resilience and resistance.
The set up is visually placing and carries a poignant message. The ash symbolizes hope, strengthening the olive tree and its connection to the land, with the intention of equally empowering the individuals of Palestine.
“The challenge emerged throughout a difficult time for me because of the scenario in Palestine,” he says.
“Every day, I awoke serious about how I might contribute via my artwork and make a significant influence. I imagine artwork ought to have a objective past mere aesthetics; in any other case, it dangers being empty and missing in substance,” he provides.
Drawing inspiration from the well-known quote by Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish, “If the olive timber knew the arms that planted them, their oil would change into tears,” El Hajoui’s artwork set up conjures up a deeper reflection on our connection to our homeland.
It encourages us to think about not simply our conceptual understanding, but in addition our lived expertise of the land and the way we have interaction with it. Residence isn’t just a sentimental reminiscence; it’s a tangible expertise dropped at life via this artwork set up.
