“From the quest for himself and his origins to his exploration of the world, Farid Belkahia attempts to act as the interpreter for a particular being in the world, and to question this being in its relation to time and memory. Time here is not meant simply as the time of history and culture but a time that opens onto infinity and eternity, in which the being, accosted in its historical, political and social dimension, gradually becomes the place of an increasingly essential interrogation that tends towards a sense and comprehension that becomes progressively more universal. This reasoning obliged Belkahia very early on to adopt the use of primitive forms: those of the circle, triangle, square, dot, cross and arrow. Employed in their geometric characteristics, throughout his artistic career these forms have given rise to a symbolism that has defined this being in its absoluteness and universality, untouched by the impact of civilization. “In its essence, the being never alters, regardless of its context”, he says. During his Expressionist period, which lasted from 1950 to 1965, he did not hunt down the being but approached, encircled and almost beseeched it to exteriorise its grief. Once situated at the centre of his thought and questioning, the being would later make itself known through its “malaise in civilisation” and its manner of not yet being in the world but in society and politics.”
One of Morocco’s most important modernists, Farid Belkahia is an active voice in the debate around post-colonial artistic modernism in Morocco – contributing regularly to the leftist cultural and intellectual journal Souffles from its launch onwards. Throughout his career, Belkahia was opposed to the idea of Western artistic influence and dedicated his entire oeuvre to developing the concept of a true Moroccan visual identity – a recurrent theme in the Arab art world during the early 1960s.
For Belkahia, using the cultural heritage of Morocco in his shapes, materials, and painterly technique was a way to root international modernism within a local context. To ensure he could achieve such a result, he surrounded himself with a group of artists now regarded as the founders of modernism in Morocco: Mohamed Chebaa, Muhammad Hamidi, Mohamed Melehi and Mustapha Hafid. This group, known as the ‘Ecole de Casablanca’, established the foundations of Moroccan art in the 20th century. These teachers were appointed to develop and encourage a specifically Moroccan cultural identity while also promoting a stronger liberal practice of the arts. The group first exhibited together in Rabat in 1966. In 1969 they, along with three other professors from the school, organised the Exposition Manifeste in Djemaa al-Fna in Marrakech- an open-air exhibition that sought direct contact with a larger public outside a confined art space which would be accessible to all. This was a particularly avant-garde initiative within the Arab world. Later that year, a similar exhibition was held in Place du 16 Novembre in Casablanca. The group’s main motivation was to challenge the notion perpetuated by the former colonial attitude that "Contemporary art in Morocco can only be naive art."
It was imperative for Belkahia to create an identity unique to Morocco; his works in the1960s were a radical break away from the conventional medium of oil painting. Celebrating the rich and diverse heritage of Morocco and the Amazigh culture, Belkahia employed the use of copper and rams’ skin as his medium of choice. The use of these materials is where we see Belkahia perfect sculptural objects and his iconic ram skin two-dimensional works. Incorporating referencing of the Amazigh language and script and using henna, Belkahia wanted to honor and elevate the pre-colonial past and heritage of Morocco.
Belkahia created his own vernacular. Avant-garde for his time, his vision to create a language that incorporated indigenous materials challenged the mainstream definition of art in the form of a painting on canvas. The present work completed in 1994 epitomizes Belkahia’s use of traditional material and creation of two-dimensional sculptures. An imposing figure in the history of Moroccan modern art – Belkahia crafted a new language to define and to exalt the post-colonial scene in Morocco.