Y A S S I N E M E K H N AC H ET H E C o N f E r E N C E o f T H E B I r d S

The Valley of Astonishment

Y A S S I N E M E K H N AC H ET H E C o N f E r E N C E o f T H E B I r d S

The Valley of Astonishment

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“ TrAvEllINg – IT lEAvES You SpEECHlESS, THEN TurNS You INTo A STorYTEllEr.”

Ibn Battûta

That’s exactly what Yassine Mekhnache’s canvases do. They form the material tale of a long journey spanning three continents, cultures, traditions and talents.

This rich journey begins in France, where Yassine resides and works. In his studio, he conceptualises his artworks, an intricate combination of embroidery, painting and beading.

The artistic adventure first stops off in Morocco, where certain parts of the canvas are embroidered using a very specific and ancestral pattern of arabesque. Local women in the small village of Tameslouht are the first to infuse their culture and tradition into Mekhnache’s artworks, leaving an indelible mark on a canvas bound for other destinations. The art of embroidery has marked centuries, allowing locals to encode secrets through the pattern.

The canvas then travels to India, more specifically to Pondicherry. Once again, the artwork receives an infusion of local crafts and savoir-faire: certain parts of each canvas are treated with very delicate and intricate beadwork. Much like the first stop in Morocco, this layover in India is an ode to traditions and craftsmanship.

The last leg of this trip takes place where it all started, in France, where Yassine welcomes back the travelling canvas and adds the finishing touches: a very elegant display of colours, finally giving life to the birds and to the underlying portraits in the background.

Aptly called “The Conference of the Birds”, this series takes the viewers on a journey through exotic cultures and ancestral techniques.

Come and discover this larger-than-life colourful aviary and try to grasp what the birds have to say. If you listen close enough, you might just realise that you are the traveller and they the storytellers.

gIllES dYAN SYlvAIN gAIllArdFounder and Chairman DirectorOpera Gallery Group Opera Gallery Dubai

p r E f A C E

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Yassine Mekhnache’s art enamors the eye and stirs the soul. Like an ancient manuscript filled with symbols or a pilgrim’s treasure chest: you find the rising sun, coloured clouds, an appetite for elsewhere, the spiritual perfume of the most inspired Sufi texts, dancing stars and soaring birds.

Each canvas keeps a precious record of the long journeys, the memories of the multiple encounters that triggered its birth: the one of an embroiderer whose traditional stitches repeat themselves under the sweltering Moroccan sun; or that of a cool and shady studio in Pondicherry where men, cross-legged on the floor, methodically adjust pearls and sequins around a pattern traced by the artist. And the last ritual, the one where the artist heads outside to meet with nature, to spot two trees in between which he will hang his work, reminding him of a ship’s sails as they swell with wind.

Then the day’s rays give way as nighttime falls and the studio beckons… Canvases are again unfolded, this time to be hung on easels. Like a monk’s cell where you cannot escape from yourself: long moments of silence and thoughtfulness ensue during which the painter goes back and forth, facing the paintings or hovering over those sprawled out on the floor.

And it all goes so fast, like an attack or wild embrace: without warning, the painter pellets the canvas with colour, striking it with his paint brush, brooms, rags… The studio floor looks like a place where hides are tanned, sumptuous spillage overflowing everywhere. Gorgeous graffiti with a touch of the sacrilegious… of immediacy but also of love and the purest poetry: this is the art of Yassine Mekhnache.

The artist never denies his roots (incidentally, those of a Graffiti Artist), but rather, transcends them, hoisting them up to heaven, taking us with them…

dAvId roSENBErg Art Director Opera Gallery Group

C l o u d S o f C o l o u r

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Tell us about your artistic journey… How did you go from the Street Art that marked your career debut to your current style?

… I began to draw when I was very young; my fingers started burning when I was introduced to graffiti at about the age of 12. I got really addicted to everything it involved: the act itself, the risk, the letters, painting trains… this gave me the courage and stamina to become an artist, plus my intro- duction to tagging in my teens. I can still feel the energy of the street and I adapt it to my studio’s atmosphere. My quest for mastering the perfect gesture and the repetition of perfect strokes makes up a part of my work today.

What are the different production stages of your work?

… I start in Paris with a big piece of tracing paper, using the same “all-over” technique invented by Pollock. The first and final steps of my production process are diametrically opposed. The first step relies on serendipity; the final one on movement and controlled brushstrokes. The first impression, right from the paint can onto the sheet of tracing paper, gives it soul, a true presence to the face-in-progress; gives it weight, a skeleton, bone structure. This first abstract version is then given over to embroiderers who come from the town of Tameslouht in Morocco. These incredible women reproduce, copy and cover the surface with the famous Fez embroidery stitch, geometrical and repetitive.

After having selected a type of bird, I do a sketch that I’ll then use as a model for my partners in Pondicherry. Just like with my Moroccan embroiderers, this collaboration represents weeks of work. The sequins, glitter and pearls contrast with the cotton fibers of the Moroccan embroidery. The two styles fit well together, complement each other. The third and final journey includes a return to my studio where the coloring process helps reveal the portrait’s specific identity.

How did your relationship with the canvas develop, marked by the significance of the materials used, the layering of technique on technique and the vitality of the piece’s movement?

… My relationship to the canvas is epidermal. I like to think of the canvas as a praying mat… The materials are a quest to meld with my subject: I like to associate techniques because, to me, words are like a weaving machine; I think of my strokes as writing… where words morph into matter thanks to this process.

What part do your travels play in terms of inspiration and production? Why have you created this artistic “fellowship” with Moroccan and Indian artisans?

… Embroidery came into my life totally by accident… like I said, serendipity. Even if I know deep down that this encounter was my destiny. I quickly moved to work with artisans to create contemporary images through ancient traditions, like the Fez stitch.

There really is a strong time factor linking us together. In just a few seconds, I execute a stroke, and then, that stroke is extended over time by my embroiderers: instantaneous movement is then transcribed anew and takes about one hundred hours of stitching time.

In India, the bird becomes flamboyant thanks to the embroiderers’ nimble fingers; the passion is right there and India is such a fascinating country. So many reasons to create special bonds. I’m proud to be able to project myself into the future with such talented Moroccan and Indian creators.

How did the Moroccan embroiderers become such an essential part of your work?

… When I first presented one of my embroidered paintings to the Tameslouht women, they were so enthusiastic and touched by our collaboration that I had the impression they were truly proud and that our common creation brought a new dimension to their own work.

The adventure with the Moroccan embroiderers started in 2007, when they welcomed me like their own son, had such confidence in my work and were able to quickly adapt their savoir-faire to my contemporary vision. Embroidery then became a texture in its own right, a matrix, a very special ingredient that became the support for my painting…

I N T E r v I E W Y A S S I N E M E K H N A C H E

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How did The Conference of the Birds, an ancient persian poem by farid uddin Attar, written in 1177, become a major inspiration for you? How did this poem give birth to your desire to use it as the basis of an extensive series?

… I’d learned about Farid Attar’s poem during a discussion with filmmaker and friend of mine Rachid Djaidani. Rachid was telling me about his experience with Peter Brook, who had adapted The Conference of the Birds for the stage in 1979 at the Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord in Paris. I then plunged myself into this beautiful inner journey...

The original poem, an initiation to mysticism, distinguishes itself by its metaphorical content and philosophical significance. How much symbolism finds its way into each of your pieces, whether by your choice of birds, colour or patterns?

… I try to understand the role of the birds, the psychological nature of each one and also, at what point I find correlations with my study of portraits, which began about fifteen years ago. Having decided on a new illustration of the text by integrating my embroidered birds, I have identified the specific ink and embroidered thread to use.

Embroiderer at the Pondicherry NGO studio ARTYZAN

Would you like to open your creative process to multi-handed and international new countries and traditions?

… Absolutely. I’m considering putting new partnerships in place over the next few months with craftsmen from South America. I dream of woven threads criss-crossing around the globe; my research with artisans from the Middle East is just the beginning…

Could you discuss your work with Said Mahrouf?

… In the summer of 2015, I got a call from Casablanca: Said Mahrouf had discovered my work thanks to one of his clients who had one of my paintings on display at her home… He immediately made an appointment to meet me in my studio and proposed that we work together on his new collection. One month later, I went to Pondicherry with loads of samples from Said's fabric, and with carte blanche to add my embroidered creations. After having received the fabric, Said assembled his dresses in Casablanca. We were lucky to be able to present the collection at Fashion Forward Dubai.

How do you approach embroidering with multiple hands? do you feel like mastering your work from beginning to end or do you allow it to work its own?

… I’m convinced that it’s possible to create new imagery from ancient traditions; I align myself with a line of artists whose physical and manual commitment is primary. In my creative process, the work of the artist and the craftsman are complementary, inseparable; the only thing that matters is the intelligence of the hand and the placement of the body. I claim to work without machines. These artisans are obviously the makers of great art, but also the perpetuators of an ancestral savoir-faire that I am sometimes able to capture on canvas. And it’s very potent.

You have done remarkable work with Swarovski crystals. How did that partnership come to be?

… In 2016, a Swarovski representative visited the “ARTYZAN” studios in Pondicherry, an Indian NGO that had commissioned some of my works, while the embroiderers were actually working on one of my series. Following this encounter, we had the pleasure of receiving a donation in the form of several cases of crystals for me to use in future creations.

Said Mahrouf’s catwalk at Spring- Summer Fashion Forward Dubai 2016

Embroidries with Swarovski crystals

Moroccan embroiderer of the town of Tameslouht

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“The home we seek is in eternity;The Truth we seek is like a shoreless sea,of which your paradise is but a drop.This ocean can be yours; why should you stopBeguiled by dreams of evanescent dew?The secrets of the sun are yours, but youContent yourself with motes trapped in its beams.Turn to what truly lives, reject what seems Which matters more, the body or the soul?Be whole: desire and journey to the Whole.”

Farid uddin at tarThe Conference of the Birds

Your work combines the figurative and the abstract. What proportion of your work do each of these occupy? Is this your way of going beyond?

… About fifteen years ago, I presented an initial series of paintings on canvas in Lyon, France, entitled D-FIGURATION LIBRE. The departure point for my work is always to build on my study of the enigmatic, repetitive and obsessional. From this first piece, a voice beckoning me towards abstraction started calling out to me. And to this day, I’m surprised to find myself alone in my studio, contemplating the faces of my portraits. My subconscious always brings me back to the portrait, but I now believe that all the figurative strokes are only visible to me…

do you always work in series? If so, what themes would you like to tackle in the future? Are they always linked to a literary work and an animal?

… Yes, I always work in series for works on paper and large formats. I like the marathon aspect of painting; I like big rhythms and compositions spread out all over my studio… I’ve always been attracted to the graphic aspect of labyrinths. As for the future, I never really know what direction I’ll take next: I love to change my mind and I suppose I worship a god who has the right to doubt…

What role does nature play in your work...?

… For a long time now, I’ve got used to setting up my easel in natural or urban settings. I like to hang my embroidered creations outside where they can feel the wind in their natural environment. I let them recharge their batteries… I often use photos and I try to make a video of these outdoor installations, like an on-hand souvenir. I might just present them one day as part of my work…

Is there one object that you cherish in particular, that you keep with you at all times?

… I try not to place too much sentimental value in material things…

What and who have inspired you artistically?

… My references in painting are rather broad; I like the very essence of painting, appreciate artists from all generations and live this art and my relationship to ink and water as if it were almost a religion. I’m a big fan of the Gutai movement; I find their whole experience rather incredible, and to me, they’re still just as avant-garde today. At the beginning,

I observed Matthew Barry’s work a lot. I like many paintings by the grand masters such as Francis Bacon and Pablo Picasso.

You’re genuinely passionate about filmmaking; could you tell us about your work with the filmmaker rachid djaïdani?

… I admired Rachid long before meeting him! We met for the first time in 1999 on the set of Bernard Pivot’s TV show when he was promoting his book Boumkoeur. The main character of his novel is called Yaz, and I immediately identified with certain aspects of his personality… Then one day, I bumped into Rachid right in front of my Parisian home and introduced myself. First, I participated in his debut feature film RENGAINE (Cannes Film Festival, 2012: the FIPRESCI International Critics Award; Deauville Film Festival, 2012: the Michel d’Ornano Award). Some years later, he decided to devote one entire year of his life to me, a true declaration of love from one artist to another… and triggered by the same passion for art, the same determination in our creative processes; we’ve travelled quite a road together, side by side. And this led to 150 hours of footage for his documentary film of 73 minutes in length, put to music by the bass player François Rabbath and his son Sylvain, who brought an electronic touch to this original music.

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In 2009, eight centuries later, Yassine Mekhnache came across The Conference of the Birds. This 4,647-verse poem develops a well-known theme in Islamic literature, notably told by Avicenna and Ahmad Ghazali before him. Yassine Mekhnache imagined a pictorial variation around this journey of a bird freeing itself from the world’s traps and burdens before coming back to its true king.

In The Conference of the Birds, Farid Uddin Attar unfolds a metaphysical tale with tangible, understandable symbols. The poem is an allegory about a great flock setting off in quest of the Simurgh, their ideal king. Each species of bird represents an archetypal personality or flaw, reflecting men’s multiple psychological sides explored in Yassine Mekhnache’s portraits for years. The hoopoe guides these birds spiritually and physically to bind themselves to the will of God through selfless annihilation. However, every bird has reasons for not taking part in the Way, which are countered by the hoopoe’s riddling parables. The Way symbolises the trials and tribulations that one such as a Sufi must undergo in order to realise God.

Led by their wise and eloquent guide, the flock of 100,000 traverse seven metaphorical valleys: the valley of quest (talib); the valley of love (achék); the valley of understanding (ma’arifat); the valley of independence and detachment (istigna); the valley of pure unity (tahuid); the valley of astonishment (haïrat) and the valley of poverty, deprivation and death (facir, fana).

By the end of the arduous epic, only thirty birds eventually reach the abode of the Simurgh, only to realise that the journey has been about seeing their true sides within; that they themselves are the si-murgh — si Their present and future lives become .("bird" ,رمغ) murgh + ("thirty" ,سی)shadows, lost in the Sea of the celestial Sun and dissolved into the divine Unity.

In the manner of this spiritual journey, Yassine Mekhnache’s canvases travel through countries and art studios, cultures and know-hows before unveiling their completed bird.

THE CoNfErENCE of THE BIrdSBY fArId uddIN ATTAr

farid uddin (Al-din) Attar (born circa 1142, Nishapur, North-East Iran – died circa

1220, Mecca, Arabia) was a persian Muslim poet who lived in Nishapur, persia

during the 12th century. one of the greatest Sufi writers and thinkers, he composed

at least 45,000 distiches (couplets) and some remarkable prose works.

He inherited a perfumery and chemist’s shop from his father (Attar means

chemist, perfumer). The legend which rapidly adorned his life tells the story of

a heart opening to spiritual life when a beggar to whom he had refused charity

died on his doorstep. Attar decided to feed his mind and to write – he was

regarded as the most literate man of his time. He was credited many works,

including the divine Book, the Memorial of the Saints and some apocryphal

writings.

farid uddin Attar’s fame is solidly established in the Islamic world. The author

is in line with this ancient and strong mystical tradition that seeks a direct and

personal contact with a superior reality, which draws its form and existence

from Muslim doctrine itself, taking various shapes throughout the centuries

and countries.

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My work springs from a never-ending quest for a language untaught, one liberated from the shackles of the formal.

Time in the studio was fundamental: the repetition of my graffiti artist’s pseudonym morphed into a face on canvas. Not quite a self-portrait, it took the shape of reflections, fleeting eruptions of an interior universe simmering in silence with unassailable energy.

To soak up this vital force, to cultivate and nurture it deep within, so as to better burst forth within the imminence of hope sublime.

This need, altered at intervals into a creative fury, simultaneously subjects me to the most imperial of commandments… and abandon: a free-spirited, canvas-spattering of ink, paint and materials guided by strokes that have been transformed by the breath that belongs to being.

Such an impetus nevertheless requires a penchant for constant introspection and evolution. Purposefully pushing back on my desire to paint allows for contemplation and its translation into raw strokes on canvas; the experience physical, filled with space.

I’m drawn to paintings that are vibrant, intimate stories told through the guts of the canvas, through its very fiber. An introspective, quasi-anatomical approach, the idea of soul-searching, stirring the essence within and thrusting it onto easel; no sleight of hand, no simulation.

It’s all about questioning our collective subconscious, without bitterness nor precept, but rather, like an encounter imbued with endless potentialities.

Like peregrine falcons soaring towards spirituality, my work suggests a different chrysalis.

A literary and pictorial variation of Sufi mysticism, The Conference of the Birds, imposed itself on me some years ago thanks to a dear friend and filmmaker, Rachid Djaidani. This parallel between my work and the ancient Persian poet’s poem explores the myriad, sensitive, embryonic facets contained in Attar’s masterpiece, while furthering my exploration of the human portrait that began fifteen years ago.

Because the adventure of creating, to me, is a spiritual – and above all – human endeavor, my portraits are the creations of a thousand hands, where the serendipitous and accidental both have their rightful place. Indian craftsmen reinterpret the patterns and birds I’ve created; Moroccan embroiderers embellish and perpetuate the first ink spots spattered on cloth.

It takes a human chain’s unfoldment to compose – or recompose – a truly complete work of art. Within this coming together of varying mediums, I imagine an invisible architecture, the merging of broidery and painting between Morocco and India. I’m convinced that it is possible to create new images from ancient knowledge, through a physical and manual commitment that is nothing less than total. In my work, the artist’s and craftsman’s methods complement each other. Only the hand’s intelligence prevails. I prefer working without machines, creating indelible bonds between true craftsmanship, ancestral values and contemporary creations.

My commitment to art is an act of love and there’s no turning back. The art of painting flows through me; I accompany it but do not control it. It allows me to create a way of expressing myself that’s also a way of life.

I AM A PAINTER AD INFINITUM.

A r T I S T ’ S S T A T E M E N T

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HoopoE

THE HoopoE IS KINg SoloMoN’S WISE MESSENgEr, BElovEd of A propHET ANd TruSTEd BY god;

he has travelled the world and has the bismillah (opening words of the Qur'an) etched on his beak. He embodies wisdom, conscience and guidance in the birds’ quest for Simurgh, their rightful king. In line with the tenets of the Sufis sheikh, he teaches these birds spiritually and physically to bind themselves to the will of God through selfless annihilation. The hoopoe engages in a question-and-answer session to allay the bird-pilgrims’ fears and set their misconceptions, errors and sins right. While telling parables and stories to illustrate his point, the hoopoe proves to be blunt in his conclusions and judgments.

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DETAIL OF WORkCoNSCIENCE

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THE CoNfErENCE of THE BIrdS - CoNSCIENCE, 2016Hand embroidery, ink and oil on canvas150 x 150 cm - 59.1 x 59.1 in.

oWl

THE TrEASurE-SEEKINg fool WHo BElIEvES THAT gold IS THE oNlY TruE NoBlE purSuITTHAT doES NoT BordEr oN BlASpHEMY.

He opted for apparent renunciation of the world and nests in ruins as a hermit. Yet he also appears as an archaeologist, convinced that great mysteries lie in the past, in what is hidden and passed over. He ceaselessly explores remnants and remains in search of treasure, an illumination. He also doubts the existence of God due to a pervasive sense of injustice. The hoopoe helps the owl to stop pursuing his thirst for hidden gold, synonymous with buried idols.

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THE CoNfErENCE of THE BIrdS - HoopoE ANd SIlvEr SEquINS, 2016Hand embroidery, ink and oil on canvas200 x 200 cm - 78.7 x 78.7 in.

fAlCoN

THE SuBSErvIENT MAN WHo rEvElS IN SErvINg THE SoulS of lESSEr rulErS THAN THE SIMurgH.

He is the mastermind behind the powerful ones: using his hold on them, he ensures his own protection. Leaning on a strict obedience to ascetic rules and to the abnegation of all emotion, he considers the pursuit of the Simurgh as a vain quest for an illusion. As the very embodiment of benevolence towards its subjects, the Simurgh makes him fear the possible repudiation from a simple and moody mortal.

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THE CoNfErENCE of THE BIrdS - BroWN fAlCoN, 2016Hand embroidery, ink and oil on canvas200 x 160 cm - 78,7 x 63 in.

pArroT

THE fool WHo oNlY SEEKS IMMorTAlITY INSTEAd of THE TruTH of THE WAY.

He is characterised by his haughtiness and his appearance, which make him a decorative bird, locked up in his cage. He is frustrated, impatient, utopian and unrealistic: obsessed by the quest for the fountain of youth, he cannot search for the Simurgh. The hoopoe replies that he is too concerned with earthly desires, synonymous with vices, temptations and illusions, whereas the quest for the Simurgh allows detachment.

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fANTASTIC BIrd

AMoNgST THE floCK of BIrdS CHATTErINg ANd fINdINg ExCuSES for THEMSElvES, THE HuMBlE ANoNYMouS BIrd WHo fINAllY MAKES HIMSElf HEArd.

At last one smaller Bird, of a rare kind, Of modest Plume and unpresumptuous Mind, Whisper'd 'O Hoopoe, we know indeed How Thou both knowest, and would'st help our Need; For thou art wise and holy, and hast been Behind the Veil, and there The Presence seen.But we are weak and vain, with little care Beyond our yearly Nests and daily Fare— How should we reach the Mountain? and if there How get so great a Prince to hear our Prayer […] ?'

HEroN

THE dESpAIrINg MAN WHo lIvES IN SorroW oN THE EdgE of A forCE HE CANNoT fATHoM Nor CoNTrol.

The archetype of the miserable, selfish character, the heron wallows in his petty worries instead of taking a step back. He’s good at escaping, thanks to his love for the sea, which, by nature, he cannot fully enjoy. Self-destructive, he chooses precisely what he can never have. Living on the seaside, he only has an idealised image of the ocean but does not know its true reality. The hoopoe points out that to love truly, one must know the changing and ambivalent nature of the beloved force; if the ocean is as powerful and untameable to men, it is by passion for the Simurgh.

THE CoNfErENCE of THE BIrdS - THIrd EYE ANd MYTHologICAl BIrdS, 2016 Hand embroidery, ink and oil on canvas200 x 200 cm - 78.7 x 78.7 in.

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DETAIL OF WORk

THE CoNfErENCE of THE BIrdS - # 7

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SIMurgH

THE BIrdS' rIgHTful SovErEIgN rESIdINg BEYoNd THE uNIdENTIfIEd KAf'S MouNTAIN pEAK.

Although always near them, still he transcends them. He is omnipotent, indecipherable, unfathomable by Reason and ineffable. The Simurgh is said to have first appeared in China where his fame spread. People speculate on his appearance based on the single feather that he let float down to earth, in which it is said he would have a counterpart in every soul. The legend says that long ago he created birds as his shadow. The truth comes out a lifetime later, as only 30 of the 100,000 birds that set off make it to the Simurgh's doorstep. When beholding the Throne of Thrones, they are amazed to see themselves mirrored. The journey has been about seeing who they truly are inside: the only authentic form of learning.

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THE CoNfErENCE of THE BIrdS - # 7, 2016Hand embroidery, ink and oil on canvas190 x 190 cm – 74.8 x 74.8 in.

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THE CoNfErENCE of THE BIrdS - # 6, 2016Hand embroidery, ink and oil on canvas220 x 195 cm - 86.6 x 76.8 in.

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THE CoNfErENCE of THE BIrdS - THE SEAl of SIMurgH # 1, 2017Hand embroidery, ink and oil on canvasØ: 220 cm - 86.6 in.

Work in progress

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THE CoNfErENCE of THE BIrdS - THE SEAl of SIMurgH # 2, 2017Hand embroidery, ink and oil on canvasØ: 220 cm - 86.6 in.

Work in progress

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pEACoCK

THE fAllEN oNE WHo SIdEd WITH EvIl CoNSpIrINg To rETurN To pArAdISE

The bird of a thousand colours, with a royal coat. Despite his dazzling beauty, he is disillusioned and acts as an unloved martyr. In his nostalgia for Paradise Lost, he ceaselessly recalls being expelled from Heaven after siding with the snake. The hoopoe points out that the Garden of Eden is merely a speck in the Simurgh’s universe, hence a quest all the more essential.

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THE CoNfErENCE of THE BIrdS - CrYSTAl pEACoCK, 2016Hand embroidery with Swarovski crystals, ink and oil on canvas200 x 300 cm - 78.7 x 118.1 in.

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THE CoNfErENCE of THE BIrdS - rEd vulTurES, 2017Hand embroidery, ink and oil on canvas120 x 120 cm - 47.2 x 47.2 in.

Work in progress

HoM A / v ulT ur E

THE “forTuNATE”, THE vANE, SElf-AggrANdIzINg MAN WHo BElIEvES THAT poWEr IS MorE IMporTANT THAN WISdoM or lovE

The Humayun is the kings’ lucky bird, since the shadow of his wings brings protection. He represents a further step towards the wisdom necessary for the quest to find the Simurgh, he despises the flesh and the heart. However, he is quite scornful towards those who are not as high-minded. The hoopoe reproaches him for his immoderate pride and reminds him that today’s kings will be tomorrow’s beggars. Paradoxically, if the humayun’s shadow brings luck, it is all the more dangerous as it gets one used to ease and artificial immunity.

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fA I r S

2016 SCOPE Miami Beach, krampf Gallery, Miami, USA

Art Dubai, krampf Gallery, Dubai, UAE

2015 Art Paris, krampf Gallery, Paris, France

2014 Istanbul Art Fair, krampf Gallery, Istanbul, Turkey

2012 Istanbul Art Fair, krampf Gallery, Istanbul, Turkey

4th Marrakech Biennale, Marrakech, Morocco

2009 Art Paris, Louise Alexander Gallery, Paris, France

2008 Shang’art, Shanghai, Louise Alexander Gallery, Shanghai, China

PREVIEW Berlin, Galerie L.J., Berlin, Germany

2005 Fight Art, Lyon Biennale of Contemporary Art, Lyon, France

r ESI dENCES A N d pr I zES / ACqu ISI T IoNS A N d Col l ECT IoNS

2013 Acquisition of an embroidery 190 x 190 cm by the Elgiz Museum, Maslak, Turkey

2010 Al Maqam, Tahanaout Résidence, Morocco

2009 Artist in residence, Villa Abdelatif, Algiers, Algeria

2002/2003 Atelier d’Art Thérapie, Lacoux Collective Buying Central

2001/2004 Artist in residence, Fort du Bruissin, Francheville, France

2000 UNESCO Prize, Special Prize of the International Jury Meeting, Paris/Berlin

Ex-Voto, installation, Alger Contemporary and Modern Art Museum, Algiers, Algeria

Cu r AT I Ng

2010 Animal Dream, Marrakech Art Fair, Marrakech, Morocco

Chrome Diaries, L’Agence, Paris, France

2009 The Show, Galerie Joseph, Paris, France

Lay down the reality, Galerie Moretti & Moretti, Paris, France

MoNogr A pHS

LYFE, ed. Lutanie, 2011

Folioscope Street, ed. du Passage d’Encre, Rachid Djaidani, 2006

Folioscope Workshop, ed. du Passage d’Encre, Rachid Djaidani, 2006

v I dEogr A pH Y / CI N EM ATogr A pH Y

Baptiste Chesnais, CANTIqUE DES OISEAUx, Heko Production, 2017

Rachid Djaidani, ENCRÉ monographic documentary, Sabrazaï Productions, 74 min, Paris/NYC/Marrakech 2015. Selected: Cinéma du Réel 2015, Georges Pompidou Centre, and Journées Internationales du Film sur l’Art 2016, Louvre

Rachid Djaidani, RENGAINE, full-length feature film, Sabrazaï Productions, 90 min, Paris, 2012: International Critics Prize (FIPRESCI prize), quinzaine des Réalisateurs, Festival de Cannes 2012

ANIMAL DREAM, Morocco 2010

Born on 19 July 1979, Lyon, FranceLives and works in Paris

Solo E x H I BI T IoNS

2015 La Conférence des Oiseaux, David Bloch Gallery, Marrakech, Morocco

2013 WANDERING, Catherine Ahnell Gallery, NYC, USA

COASTS TO COASTS, krampf Gallery, Istanbul, Turkey

2012 Marrakech Biennale, Marrakech, Morocco

201 1 LYFE, Galerie Suzanne Tarasieve Loft 19, Paris, France

2010 Yaze Paintings 2010, Galerie OPEN of A. Rockelmann, Berlin, Germany

Algerian Cultural Centre, Paris, France

2009 Piece of Me, Galerie L.J., Paris, France

2008 In Motion, Louise Alexander Gallery, Porto Cervo, Sardinia, Italy

Wake Up in a Golden Dream, Vosges Collective Buying Central, Épinal, France

2007 Sponge Up, Galerie L.J., Paris, France

Galerie Regard Sud, Lyon, France

2006 Processus, Galerie Moretti & Moretti, Paris, France

Autocritique, Galerie Chappe, Paris, France

2002 Rhône-Alpes House of Arts, Lyon, France

grou p E x H I BI T IoNS

2012 bYrdS, Galerie Joseph, Paris, France

2010 Animal Dream, Marrakech Art Fair, Marrakech, Morocco

C1TY, 18 Gallery- Magda Danysz, Universal Exhibition, Shanghai, China

The End, L’Agence, Paris, France

2009 Panic in Shaï Wan, The Embassy, Hong kong

2007 Galerie du Jour Agnès.B., Paris, France

2006 Contemporary Art Centre Le Rectangle, Lyon, Paris

A B o u T Y A S S I N E M E K H N A C H E

Gate Village, Building 3, Dubai International Financial Centre, Dubai, UAE T. + 971 4 323 0909 dubai@operagallery.com

operagallery.com

ACKNoWlEdgEMENT: The artist would l ike to address his special thanks to al l those who contributed to the making

of this book and to the company Swarovski for its kind donation. As well as to Baptiste Chesnais, félicien roller, ArTYzAN, Emilie Klein, double zéro,

Ann riquier, dimitri Klein, Jean-francois lesage, Michèle Camerini , Heko production, Sophian Hamdi, Celine Higel , Malav patel , régis Krampf, Saïd Mahrouf, Jérôme Couppé,

Sylvain rabbath, Aurélien Mihalevich, Marcel larochaix, rachid djaïdani,françois rabbath, vincent Cottet

CoordINATorS: Aurélie Heuzard, david rosenberg, Caroline Couppé

AuTHorS: Sylvain gail lard, david rosenberg, Annabel decoust

TrANSlATIoN: Amanda Mc lane

pHoTogrApHY: Artist ’s studio, Mitia Klein, Bertrand Bonhome, Aurélia Thevenin

dESIgNEr: valérie renaud

IN pArTNErSHIp WITH:

o p e r a g a l l e r y . c o m