Marrakech – From April 15 to May 17, the walls of L’Atelier 21 in Casablanca will hum with the vibrant energy of Abdelkader Laâraj, an artist who paints as if emotions had a shape and desire had a color palette.
Laâraj knows his brush like one knows an old friend. He’s a self-taught painter and sculptor, but also a disciple of Moroccan art royalty: Melehi and Chabâa, the icons of the Casablanca art movement.
From assistant to friend, Laâraj soaked in their world before blooming into his own — one where figuration and abstraction dance together like it’s the last slow song at an art school prom.
In this exhibition, aptly titled “La passion des couleurs”, every canvas is a confession.
The female body is front and center — not objectified, but celebrated.
The kind of celebration where hips are holy and curves are gospel.
His figures float in dreamscapes where yellow flirts with green, red cozies up to mauve, and pink isn’t afraid of black.
It’s sensual, it’s spiritual — it’s everything art should be when it dares to feel something.
Olivier Rachet, the exhibition’s catalog writer, says Laâraj builds bridges between abstract forms and voluptuous figures.
I say he’s building cathedrals for the eye. His colors don’t just fill space — they sing. And if you’re lucky, they’ll sing to you.
And let’s talk technique, because this isn’t just pretty pictures and poetic pigment.
Laâraj works with cellulose paint, a medium that’s as demanding as it is luminous.
The result? A visual richness that borders on the addictive.
Born in 1950 in Casablanca, Laâraj is no stranger to the global stage.
His works have toured the world, from Paris to Montreal, and now, they return home — burning bright and unapologetically bold.
So whether you’re a seasoned art snob or someone who still calls everything “modern,” walk into L’Atelier 21 this spring and let yourself be seduced.
After all, in Laâraj’s world, color isn’t just a choice — it’s a love language. And oh, what a passionate one it is.
