A call from the desert (origins series)

• mixed media on canvas

• 60inches x 65inches

• original, unique piece

• signed, dated and comes with a certificate of authenticity

ABOUT THIS PIECE:

I often receive indications of what I need to create in dreams and meditations. A meditation session made me travel to the Algerian desert. I felt the warm sand under my feet, the warm sun on my face, the loud yet very calming silence. I landed in a mystical and fascinating place. I was called by it and I couldn’t stop thinking about it. 

That fascination did not come from nowhere…

My father told me about many of his experiences in the Algerian desert and they always left me intrigued. I decided to dive into deep research about Tassili N’ajjer, a UNESCO world heritage site. What I found about this place blew me away. The rock art of Tassili n'Ajjer, is the most eloquent expression of relationships between humans and the environment

« Located in a strange lunar landscape of great geological interest, this site has one of the most important groupings of prehistoric cave art in the world. More than 15,000 drawings and engravings record the climatic changes, the animal migrations and the evolution of human life on the edge of the Sahara from 6000 BC to the first centuries of the present era. The geological formations are of outstanding scenic interest, with eroded sandstones forming ‘forests of rock’. » - UNESCO World Heritage

I wanted to create something that feels like you would find it in a cave. Mystical, unique, powerful, old and a bit dirty. The most situable material for this was raw canvas and so I cut a large piece without measuring, tried to make it as messy as possible. And then I started creating. My brain was full of symbols from my extensive research that also led me to some indigenous dialects. As soon I had the brush In my hand, I couldn’t stop drawing. The symbols were flowing on the canvas, I felt like I was in a trance, drawing for hours sometimes in complete silence. I started this piece late September and officially finished it on December 22nd.

For me, this artwork is about making a bridge between the past and the present. Art has always been a powerful way to communicate. It’s no secret that art plays an important role in history. Our ancestors left us so many artworks to observe and comprehend. It makes me shiver to visualize someone from another era drawing his reality in a cave for us to see TODAY, in 2022. How powerful and beautiful.