ORIENTAL AND AFRICAN CERAMICS | SARA OUHADDOU

“Nothing belongs to anyone; everything has been reappropriated by everyone; everything is a story of exchange between civilizations.” This premise is the starting point from which Sara Ouhaddou, a French artist of Moroccan origin, develops her research.
Ouhaddou’s practice is fueled by cultural contaminations: the artist collects stories from the past, especially those less known, that testify the connections between different civilizations, with a particular interest toward those related to the Arab-Andalusian culture that influenced, during the Middle Ages, the craftsmanship environment in Marseille.

At first glance, Oriental and African ceramics (2021) might seem like a tapestry, given its large dimensions and the type of installation that does not involve the use of a frame. Instead, it is a silkscreen print on paper. The white sheet is entirely covered with a texture composed of dots and curved graphic signs, printed with ink in warm shades of yellow and brown. Above the texture, black and clearly visible, appear what seem to be words, even though they do not correspond to any known alphabet. These, in fact, are part of a language devised by the artist, who decided to create her own typographic character drawing inspiration from the formal structure of the Arabic language and combining it with Islamic geometric shapes. The result, overall, is a perfect expression of Ouhaddou’s own practice.

The condition of migration has always affected various populations worldwide. Even today, millions of people find themselves having to move from their native land – due to war, climate change, economic poverty, just to name a few causes – giving rise to cultural contaminations among peoples that, on the one hand, can represent excellent opportunities for growth, and on the other hand, a risk of losing or confusing the cultural roots of origin.
In this context, artists like Sara Ouhaddou will always find fertile ground for their research, essential in preserving the memory of individual cultures that, in the future, may risk disappearing or, rather, not being recognized in their uniqueness.

Sara Ouhaddou
Oriental and African ceramics, 2021
Silkscreen ink on paper, unique piece, 290 x 150 cm
Courtesy Sara Ouhaddou and Galerie Polaris, Photo © Rebecca Fanuel

15/11/2023