Abdellah Boukil

At the heart of self-taught artist Abdellah Boukil’s bright, richly colored paintings and sculptures is an ancient element that defines his native Moroccan landscape and symbolizes his relationship to himself and the world: sand. “I consider sand as a material that is precious, free, profound, deep-rooted, powerful, warm, alive and discreet...I have tried to work with other materials, but sand is the only medium that allows me to faithfully transcribe my thoughts,” he has said. Using his own technique, he pours differently colored sands onto various supporting materials, including wood, canvas, metal, and glass, then applies heat, fixing the individual grains in place without losing their texture. Interested in the human figure and relationships, Boukil merges abstraction and figuration in his compositions, simultaneously defying and honoring his Islamic culture, in which representation and self-expression are highly circumscribed.