Mixing, in her works, a celebration of life in its most intimate and intimate sense with the mourning following the loss, six years ago, of her late grandfather, Inès-Noor Chaqroun seduces with a dual approach which makes her one of the rising stars of contemporary Moroccan art. Until this Saturday, December 2, 2023, contemporary art fans will still have the opportunity to admire the “O(H)VARY” exhibition at Galerie 38 in Casablanca, which presents the latest works by the 31-year-old painter Inès-Noor Chaqroun, including, for the first time, installations composed of pottery. What they will be able to find there are paintings which, in the person’s own words, serve to exorcise her own demons, including that of death, which continues to haunt her since the death in November 2017 of her paternal grandfather, who is none other than the writer, playwright and journalist Abdellah Chaqroun. The one that some also know as being the daughter of the businesswoman and former president of the General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises (CGEM), Miriem Bensaleh-Chaqroun, thus, in her own words, uses art as therapy. A sort of cathartic exercise which, at the same time, allows her to celebrate, also through colors that she describes as “soft and joyful”, her quality of being alive, although she knows that this is ephemeral. As such, she uses figures such as the woman’s body, notably the stomach, the face and the breast, which, in her eyes, define both life, of which it is the source, and death, the inevitable destiny of all beings made of flesh. “We all come from a womb and everything that happens there is so fascinating, complex and impactful,” confides Inès-Noor. Before embracing the winding paths of artistic expression, Inès-Noor initially had a rather orderly life, in Paris, where she landed at the age of 18 to study law. After a degree, she continued with a business school. His choice is a master’s degree in audit management. Following which, she worked as a product manager within a major luxury brand in the City of Lights. A good opportunity to lead a completely ordinary life, punctuated by the iterative triad “metro, work and sleep”. Good fishing What does a young person dream of living in the center of a major European capital? But that’s when Inès-Noor decides to “give up” everything, because that’s the moment she loses her grandpa. “His death made me ask the right questions about what I really want to do in my life,” she confides. Inès-Noor leaves Paris and goes on a long trip. A quest for something else. From Paris to Florence, via Tanzania, where she helps children by repainting their school. And then, little by little, she ended up taking up painting again, which she did when she was 7 and 12 years old. “I was not well. Psychologically ill. Not knowing what to do,” remembers our young artist. In January 2019, Inès-Noor joined the prestigious Berlin Art Institute, before returning to the country a year later. By way of defining her work, as a final word to our exchange she says: « I create. I create works that I form almost unconsciously because my artistic approach is that of creative freedom, based on the energy and emotions emanating from me towards the canvas, the paper, the wall, the earth, whatever: the inanimate object that presents itself to me at the time of painting. An approach consisting of a discussion, a deaf dialogue between the artist and his support. Who will give rise to the shapes, colors and elements which will constitute the final work and therefore those that I call my babies.” For her projects, Inès-Noor is thinking of resuming travel and finding new artist residencies, particularly with Senegal in mind. “My ambition is to explore my interior by exporting myself outside, into the Senegalese universe. To encounter the sea, the earth to emanate a work and a message enriched with the encounters, energies and culture of an elsewhere which is our mother. To touch the earth while never letting go of the painting and its oil, so unpredictable. With which I will eternally have a carnal relationship”, she explains.
source: maroc-hebdo.press.ma
