Khoumri
Khoumri is of Moroccan origin, he always had a habit for drawing, but developed a sincerity towards the technicity of the medium starting from a drawing competition between friends.
Prior to this he only gave real importance to his ability for writing stories, inspired by events of his life, but his newfound aptitude for rendering clean, polished works in pencil, in unison with his reverence for the literary art, resulted in the current visual style, which he employs to give a parallel sense within his practice.
This visual dimension seems at first being well summarized through being surrealist in nature, submissive to primal unconscious needs which are expressed through art. However not entirely so, for a closer look brings out reoccurring symbols throughout his drawings, evoking curiosity, that when readily granted an explanation, tell of an adeptness in conducting imagery to one’s own will instead. This has not always been the case as his drawing forewent a history of autodidactic exercise prior to his recent residency in Belgium and Globe Aroma, which can be recognized through an almost other timely tidiness in treating his works, sleeving the paper on which he dubs, dates and signs his unearthings.
It is when he arrived here from Morocco that the interpretative aspect in his pencil drawings flourished out of a formal and performative exposition–that nonetheless was formative to his creative graduation, yet restricting due to the glaring judgment in his previous localcy–to a gentler, more intuitive way of penciling.
As for his presence in Globe Aroma, the brim of diversity the community provides, resonates with Taoufik’s attempt to allow for interpretations suitable to gazes of every kind, with the hope of freeing the world from the clutches of prejudice. “This is perhaps the reason why the characters I portray seem so androgynous” Taoufik speculates, adding “Through making art in a space which upholds equality above all else, I can finally be my true self, which is a dream come true”. Maintaining the lucidity acquired from his past he continues exploring his artistic skill in the atelier, as to decrypt the scenes channeled through a mystical aesthetic together with the world.