Chourouk Hriech

(Untitled) is a series of drawings by Chourouk Hriech highlighting the confluence of old and new traditions currently seen in the cities of Morocco. Her patchwork of Islamic patterns seems to scoop up elements of arabesque and modern architecture, nature scenes and cultural celebrations, featuring musicians, artisans and dancers. The drawings propose scenes of carnival-like celebration and optimism, as well as suggesting moments of urban friction. Each drawing feels likes a moodscape, or an attempt to portray a city bursting from within the limits of the page. Although executed in black and white, a sense of colour lies beneath the surface, as the topology is in perpetual motion. Akin to Italo Calvino’s novel Invisible Cities (1972) in which imaginary cities are described by a narrator, Hreich’s drawings show the fictional and the real spill over into one another, creating a social-historic fresco of urban improvisations.
 
Chourouk Hriech was born in 1977. She graduated from the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux Arts de Lyon and develops work mainly in design and installation. Her research is based on observing changes in landscapes and navigation through the worlds open to them. She has exhibited in Spain, Italy, Morocco, the United Kingdom, Portugal and Norway and is currently invited to make 48 drawings of the work on the T3 tramway for the city of Paris.
 
In Zenith Magazine: The horizon is a circle