SEDIMENTS - VEGETAL
Green 5 Panel #1, 2016 - Acrylic paint, pigments, salt and gravel on wood - 190 x 435 cm - 74.8 x 171.3 in.
Green, Blue & Purple Trio #1, 2016 - Acrylic paint, pigments, salt and gravel on wood - 183 x 252 cm - 72 x 99.2 in.
Green Rectangle #1, 2017 - Acrylic paint, pigments, salt and gravel on wood - 176 x 230 cm - 69.3 x 90.5 in
Green Trio #1, 2017 - Acrylic paint, pigments, salt and gravel on wood - 188 x 257 cm - 74 x 101.2 in
Green & Blue Duo #1, 2016 - Acrylic paint, pigments, salt and gravel on wood - 183 x 180 cm - 72 x 70.9 in.
Pink, Purple Trio #1, 2017 - acrylic paint, pigments, salt and gravel on wood pane - Triptych: 75.1 x 102 in | 191 x 261 cm
Pink & Purple Trio #1, 2016 - Acrylic paint, pigments, salt and gravel on wood - 183 x 252 cm - 72 x 99.2 in.
Green and Purple 5 panel #1, 2017 - acrylic paint, pigments, salt and gravel on wood panel - Pentaptych: 74.8 x 171.3 in. - 190 x 435 cm
Green Blue Square #1, 2017 - Acrylic paint, pigment and salt on wood - 158 x 158 cm - 62.2 x 62.2 in
Green & Purple Duo #1, 2016 - Acrylic paint, pigments, salt and gravel on wood - 183 x 180 cm - 72 x 70.9 in.
Immersed in a bicultural environment, with a Moroccan father and a French mother, Yasmina Alaoui early on asserted her refusal of all stereotypes, whether related to women in general or to cultural archetypes associated with the Arab-Muslim world.
More recently, the artist has explored new artistic directions through the production of large-scale works. These abstract compositions evoke vast mineral landscapes seen from above. The textures and fractured or burnt materials of Tàpies and Millares, certain American aerial-view paintings, the “futuro-archaeological” installations of Chen Zhen, or the luminous palette of some of Zao Wou-Ki’s compositions may come to mind. Standing before these captivating works, the gaze forms countless associations, probing the raw material, losing and rediscovering its path.
Each composition results from long hours of meticulous elaboration. The artist begins by painting geometric patterns inspired by zellige. Rooted in traditional craftsmanship and mosaic work, these usually static forms seem here to disintegrate, sometimes even exploding into fragments that disperse into space.
Once this carefully executed stage is completed, a highly physical process begins, involving the artist’s entire body and leaving an essential role to the unpredictable. Yasmina Alaoui covers her geometric compositions with a mixture of organic and mineral materials: salt, sand, gravel and acrylic paint are first applied, then dusted with pure pigments (Tuareg blue, turquoise, pink, green, gold…). Kohl, ashes and hand-crafted plaster stars are added, alongside materials collected in the palm grove near Marrakech where she works part of the year: pieces of styrofoam, broken ceramics…
Sometimes the panels are laid flat on the floor, sometimes slightly inclined, while the artist gently drops the materials directly onto the surface. These deposits, like sedimentary layers, cover parts of the work and partially veil the first patterns that appeared.
Ruins of an ancient village, a vanished civilization, images of destruction or looming human catastrophe, or perhaps the vision of a vegetal world or cellular division… the works contain something cosmic. Some may see a devastated battlefield, others an image of birth or regeneration. Many emotions can emerge when contemplating these compositions. Yet beyond any specific reading, what prevails is the extreme sensitivity of the artist’s gaze and hands. Two layers overlap: one fragile and delicate, the other stronger, almost violent.
A portrait of the artist and of the world she inhabits.