Le Maalem

“Le Maalem” المعلّم (al-maʿllam), المعلمين الكناويين (al-maʿllmīn al-gnāwiyyīn) — “the Gnawa masters” two 30x30cm painted on wood 

These twin figures carry the rhythmic and ceremonial presence of Gnawa maâlems, rendered through Azzedine’s instinctive visual language of symbols, repetition, and simplified form. Holding “qraqeb” in each hand, the figures evoke the pulse of Gnawa trance traditions, where rhythm becomes both movement and invocation. Painted directly on wood, the works retain a tactile and grounded presence that heightens their sense of ritual objecthood. The visible surface and material texture reinforce the immediacy of Azzedine’s approach, where image and support feel inseparable. His bold black contours, dotted ornamentation, and flattened fields of color recall both folk painting and ceremonial markings. The repeated white points across the garments create a visual rhythm echoing percussion itself, while the turquoise and blue grounds hold the figures within an atmosphere that feels at once playful and sacred. As in much of Azzedine’s work, the human form becomes symbolic rather than realistic. His recurring language of simplified bodies, mask-like faces, and spiritual motifs connects these figures to a wider world of memory. Though nearly mirrored, each maâlem carries a slightly different energy — one grounded and still, the other perhaps more animated — suggesting the subtle variations within ritual performance and shared trance.

About the artist: Azeddine is a self-taught Moroccan painter from Essaouira southern Morocco, born around 1965, who originally worked as a fisherman before turning to art later in life. Deeply influenced by the sea and his daily experiences, he quickly developed a distinctive, raw style often classified as naïve or outsider art. His paintings feature vivid colors, bold outlines and recurring motifs of half-human, half-fish figures shown dancing, intertwined, or in dreamlike states, reflecting the close connection between human life and the marine world. His work has been exhibited internationally, including in galleries and outsider art exhibitions in Europe such as Portugal and France, where it has been recognized for its expressive and symbolic quality. Notable exhibitions: 

• Outsiders/Insiders? exhibition Held at the Museum of African Contemporary Art Al Maaden (MACAAL) in 2021
• Visions et Créations Dissidentes” (France, 2005)