RABAT — Moroccan artist Mouhcine Rahaoui will return to AFIKARIS in Paris for his second solo exhibition at the gallery, opening November 7 and running through January 2, 2027.
Born in Jerada in 1990 and based in Marrakech, Rahaoui draws on the mining town’s history and his own memories to examine the ties between work, survival, and danger.
A graduate of the Tetouan School of Fine Arts in 2017, Rahaoui has developed a body of work around the experiences of miners in Morocco’s Oriental region.
His practice transforms the tools and visual language of mining into artistic forms through reproductions, installations, and ready-mades that feature objects such as helmets, gloves, ropes and torches.
A memory shaped by the mine
Jerada stands at the heart of Rahaoui’s work, with the city’s identity deeply tied to its coal-mining past.
The exhibition revisits this history through what AFIKARIS describes as the “rabbit trail,” a reference to a local legend about the origins of mining in Jerada. According to the story, a Belgian forest ranger discovered a coal deposit in the late 1920s after following a black rabbit covered in coal.
Rahaoui connects this local history to his own memories and the physical reality of the mine, portraying it as both a source of livelihood and a place of danger.
His predominantly dark palette and use of mining-related objects reinforce the physical and emotional weight of the subject, while his works question the fragile boundary between earning a living and risking one’s life.
The upcoming exhibition follows Rahaoui’s first solo presentation at AFIKARIS, “À l’horizon, une obscure clarté” (On the horizon, a dim glow), held in 2024. Earlier this year, his work was also featured in a monographic exhibition at Art Genève, and he has participated in international art fairs including Art Paris and 1-54 London.
Through his latest presentation at AFIKARIS, Rahaoui continues to explore Jerada’s mining legacy, bringing a deeply local history into dialogue with an international contemporary art audience.
