
M’barek Bouhchichi Moroccan , b. 1975
Seedings 6, 2025
Harqous, date pit, gall nuts, mixed with gum Arabic on natural fiber textile
95h x 70w cm each
MB-000136
Movements of scattering and regrouping are rendered in Seedings (2025), a series of eleven drawings on paper made out of tree bark and recycled textiles. Bouhchichi employed traditional Tunisian hargous,...
Movements of scattering and regrouping are rendered in Seedings (2025), a series of eleven drawings on paper made out of tree bark and recycled textiles. Bouhchichi employed traditional Tunisian hargous, a black ink used for temporary hand and face tattoos, in addition to an ink of his own creation, made out of date pits, gallnuts, and gum Arabic. The rustic paper and natural inks exude a sense of intimacy with the land. The drawings depict forms of pre-colonial West African currency, derived from blade-shaped tools and weapons. While the objects appear whole at first glance, a closer look reveals that the artist constructed them from countless seed-like dots. Suggesting strength and power found in unity, the works also evoke fugitive trajectories of migration that have the potential to evade control.