Le Maalem

“Le Maalem” Two 30X30 oil on wood paintings depicting typical Gnawa performers from the south coats of Morocco 

About the artist: Azeddine is a self-taught Moroccan painter from Essioura southern Morocco, born around 1965, who originally worked as a fisherman before turning to art later in life. Deeply influenced by the sea and his daily experiences, he quickly developed a distinctive, raw style often classified as naïve or outsider art. His paintings feature vivid colors, bold outlines, and recurring motifs of half-human, half-fish figures shown dancing, intertwined, or in dreamlike states, reflecting the close connection between human life and the marine world. 

His work has been exhibited internationally, including in galleries and outsider art exhibitions in Europe such as Portugal and France, where it has been recognized for its expressive and symbolic quality. Notable exhibitions: 

• Outsiders/Insiders? exhibition Held at the Museum of African Contemporary Art Al Maaden (MACAAL) in 2021
• Visions et Créations Dissidentes” (France, 2005)