Interview with Moroccan painter Karim Bennani

2005-09-15

Karim Bennani, an artist known for unique and imaginative paintings, discussed the motivations behind the unusual style in an interview with Magharebia.

[File] Bennani does not constrain himself to the actual colour and shape of objects

Magharebia:Karim Bennani, you grew up in Fez in a very conservative family. Why did you choose painting as a career?

Bennani:My interest in art is not a choice I made growing up, like you would choose a career after your studies. It is a talent, a gift that revealed itself from my earliest childhood. In a way, it is art that chose me. I didn't choose it!

From the time I was in primary school, I have always loved making portraits of my teachers. Later, when I realised that art was a real passion of mine, I started working on improving my style to get into the Art Academy in Fez. The vast majority of students were from Europe, particularly France. Once at the academy, I got to know another Moroccan student, the painter Jilali Gharbaoui. At the academy, I won third prize in a competition. After Fez, I left for Paris, where I got into the École des Beaux Arts, and that is when my career started.

Magharebia: Some artists' works are inspired by their family, environment, and origins. However, your paintings are unique in the sense that their colours and forms do not refer to any of these aspects. How did you choose that style? What do you look for when you are painting?

Bennani: Personally, when I'm painting I just listen to my instinct and follow it. I also listen to my heart, as painting is an integral part of my heart, body and soul. Other than my great love for painting, there is no other particular reason that drives me to bring my art to life. I am not searching for anything when I create my paintings. Like Pablo Picasso, I am not looking, but I find.

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An idea can start with just a stain on a tablecloth, and I find that I have a great desire to make a picture out of it. Then the idea gets stronger and I find my hands following the shapes, drawing themselves in my head.

Magharebia: Women are becoming visible in all fields. However, when it comes to painting, few of them are well known. What is the cause of this in your opinion?

Bennani: I cannot say. Perhaps, women generally prefer to choose other art forms to express themselves. Having said that, in Morocco we have Chaibia Talal, may God protect her soul, who has been painting for 35 years. Her paintings have aroused interest and admiration from the four corners of the Earth.

Magharebia: What are your ambitions and what projects would you like to pursue in the future?

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Bennani: Generally speaking, my future ambitions can be summed up in my wish to keep giving something new, to make an effective contribution to saving Moroccan cultural identity and not allowing emptiness and ignorance to take hold of its true values. I am currently getting ready for a new exhibition to be held in the Bab Rouah Gallery in the next few months. I would like to invite everyone to visit it and try to understand my pictures. The colours and shapes are not the only things that define a picture, as there are other dimensions that also need to be considered. My paintings are also a kind of writing.

Magharebia: How do you encourage youths to develop their talents for art?

Bennani:I support my students and I am always available for them, so that they can give the best of themselves. We discuss the colours together, along with the shapes, and I guide them into a better understanding of their talents and what they wish to express through their paintings. I am proud to see that some of these students have managed to make their mark in this field and see their paintings in Morocco and elsewhere.