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Rabat – Abdelfettah Bellali is a Moroccan painter and artist born in 1971 in Marrakech and currently living in Tangier.
Ever since the self-taught artist was a kid, he was always very fond of drawing and painting. Although he was committed to pursuing management and information technology in school, he eventually went back to his first and only passion: art.
For Bellali, art is the peace and harmony of nature.
His specialty is painting, sculpture and artistic calligraphy. He also started teaching plastic arts at a school in Tangier.
Bellali thought of a unique way to express his feelings of joy after the US recognized Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara.
The artist’s painting shows a map of Morocco painted with soil from different regions of the country, resulting in an aesthetically pleasing piece despite the large variations in color.
The distinctive idea is an expression of unifying harmony between the people of Morocco, regardless of their differences.
The practice of painting with soil is referred to as “Soil Art.” The color and texture of this kind of painting is unique and fascinating, as it uses one of nature’s most important resources.
The piece calls attention to the territorial integrity of Morocco.
“Concerted efforts are required to show a prominent unification, media and concerned parties should also show interest in that matter,” Bellali said in an interview with Morocco World News.
In order to complete his work, the Moroccan artist took a long journey across the country, visiting the most symbolic places and gathering samples of soil over 4 months.
He began his journey by heading from Tangier to Rabat, where he proceeded to collect a handful of soil near the historical Hassan Tower.
After Rabat, he visited Oujda, where he gathered soil from the Lalla Meriem Parc, a popular green space near the Oujda Kasbah. He then continued his tour across the country, visiting various other cities such as Beni Mellal, Casablanca, Errachidia, Agadir, Guelmim, Laayoune, and Guergarat – stopping at historical locations in each city.
The painter aspires to open his own forum in Dakhla. “My work deserves to be exposed in a big forum, to show the fruitful results of my four months journey,” he said.
“I wish to be able to reach more people with his work, both nationally and internationally,” Bellali said.
The multidisciplinary artist founded “The International Contemporary Art Fair” in Tangier in 2017, in hopes of bringing a brand-new artistic dynamic to northern Morocco.
Bellali’s painting shows a map of Morocco painted with soil from different regions of the country.
The event presents various exhibitions of painting, photos, sculptures and video projections. The first edition saw the participation of 72 speakers from Morocco, as well as many other countries such as China, France, Spain, Germany and Egypt.
Bellali believes Morocco should work on improving its cultural scene in order to help artists reach their highest potential.
“Nowadays, artists in Morocco face many obstacles. However, with the new political changes that are taking place in our country, I am hopeful that the authorities will support these artists in order to help them achieve their dreams,” he said.
“I also expect improvement in the Moroccan cultural scene, as I believe the cultural awareness of a country is a reflection of its level of advancement.”
