10 Questions with Hamida Ouassini
Hamida Ouassini was born in Tangier in 1971.
After the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels, she devoted herself entirely to painting.
She has participated in several group and personal exhibitions in Europe.
Hamida Ouassini portrait
ARTIST STATEMENT
“My work is a questioning on the perception of a world which puts us at a distance from what we think and we see. It’s perception of harmony emerging from the apparent disorganization of the whole, perception of a structure shaping chaos. Curve and straight lines breathe, then doze off. And the spectator cannot contain this curious need to tell a story.” - Hamida Ouassini
Bécot, Mixed media and acrylic, 100x100 cm, 2019 © Hamida Ouassini
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INTERVIEW
Could you tell us a little more about your background and how did you begin making art?
The paths that lead to art are mysterious. Often we find ourselves practicing art without consciously having decided to do so. One day you do something, and then you realize later that it's art... For me, I think the first impulse was a portrait of me offered for a suitor. It would have been adorable if it hadn't been got lost. It was a real horror on canvas. Choice of colors, expression, facial features - everything was awful. I said to myself: "I can do a lot better!". And there you go.
Confusion, Mixed media on canvas, 80x80 cm, 2020 © Hamida Ouassini
Peur, Mixed media and acrylic, 100x100 cm, 2019 © Hamida Ouassini
What do you wish you knew about contemporary art before you got started?
Contemporary art is not really my favorite period in the history of art. I am more drawn to atypical artists who are difficult to catalog and dig their own groove and follow their own path.
Can you tell us about the process of creating your work? What aspects do you pay particular attention to?
I attribute a lot of importance to the support, and I do not neglect any matter, as trivial as it might be (ash, dust, fragments of photos, old newspapers, etc.). However, I favor experimentation, accidents, the unforeseen, to the point that I am myself blown away by the result. I think that curiosity and experimentation are the two keys to opening up a universe of infinite possibilities.
I try to give a plastic concretization to each work. I always approach it with great excitement and slight concern. You can never be sure of the result. It's all the trial and error that requires the most attention on my part and is also the most galvanizing.
Effacement #4, Mixed media on canvas, 80x80 cm, 2020 © Hamida Ouassini
What is the most challenging part of your work? And where do you find inspiration?
The hardest part for me is knowing when the work is finished. When deciding not to add the slightest touch, that will be too much and could potentially spoil the whole.
I am inspired by everything around me. I am like a sponge: everything is good to take! Anything can become part of my work.
What is your favorite experience as an artist?
My stay at the Cité des Arts in Paris where my only concern was that of painting. No financial worries. All at the expense of the Hassen II Foundation. I think that every artist must have at least once in his life the chance to concentrate on his work without any obligation, nor the pressure of result to leave room for creation, boredom, doubt, meditation, to the exaltation of work.
Racine Carrée #1, Acrylic on canvas, 100x100 cm, 2019 © Hamida Ouassini
Racine Carrée #5, Mixed media, 100x100 cm, 2021 © Hamida Ouassini
Is there a piece you consider a "breakthrough" in your career?
I much rather prefer to evoke a period in particular: that of my total distance from photography and where my faith in painting was complete.
Do you have a role model that you've drawn inspiration from when creating your art?
I really like certain paintings by Francis Bacon, who has managed to capture with mad lucidity, with incredible violence the tragic nudity of man, his long lonely nights, and give him a convulsive beauty, both fascinating and horrible. And I also like certain works by Edward Munch, who skillfully captured the animal nature of man under the veneer of his humanism.
What are you working on now, and what are your plans for the future? Anything exciting you can tell us about?
I am continuing my work on the two "Racine Carrée" series while looking for another angle. And I am planning to develop my "Mutation(s)" series further. I suspect that I have not yet explored the potentialities of this subject nor drawn all the necessary consequences. So there is still work to be done.
I also have just finished moving in my workshop for a little more comfort and brightness. Being able to paint in a reasonably lit place is very important to me. Light influences your mood and your paintings. After this short hiatus, I can't wait to get back to work.
Union #3, Mixed media on canvas, 100x100 cm, 2020 © Hamida Ouassini
What do you hope to accomplish this year, both in terms of career goals and personal life?
The main trap that awaits each artist is their audience! When they get attached to some of your work by complimenting it, buying it (the "Racine Carrée" series, for example, which has been very successful), and then turn their backs to your new work, your new explorations. It indirectly prohibits you from any renewal. This can prove to be prohibitive. You have to fight against your own audience to try to make your desires for novelty triumph.
Finally, share something you would like the world to know about you?
I am a very secretive person, jealous of my privacy. I wouldn't say I like to expose myself too much. If I do, it's only because I see myself having to in some instances. To paint and disappear, that is my philosophy. On my grave, I would like someone to quote this epitaph: "She was born, made works, died. "
