Amine El Gotaibi close by during the module construction, 2023
ILLUMINATE THE LIGHT
According to Amine El Gotaibi's philosophy, an artist's existence depends on his ability to manipulate the codes of art. The Moroccan artist has spent the last two decades building his own artistic practice by deconstructing existing modes of functioning. In order to correct the dysfunctions of our world, he must shed light on its obscure points. From a cosmogonic perspective, the world owes its existence to the presence of light. It facilitated the creation of the universe and makes all the forms of the visible world apparent to us. In language, light is a central concept that serves to reveal. Common expressions such as "shedding light" on a subject or "clarifying" a mysterious situation demonstrate its importance. Despite its omnipresence, light is rarely materialised: we perceive it without seeing it. This is true of contemporary African art. While certain Western artists from cinema, performance or design have attempted to shape and make it tangible, no renowned African artist has yet created a significant work using light as a "raw material".It is in this unprecedented vein that Amine El Gotaibi is working today, paving the way for a new frontier in the art world. The presence of light allows artworks to appear, but it is rarely the focus of attention. Amine El Gotaibi’s main idea is to consider these traditionally established roles between artwork and light and to reverse them both aesthetically and semantically. In his project, instead of being illuminated by light, it is the work that highlights the light, that creates the light, that brings it to life. The work then becomes secondary and takes a path outside of the established system to bring out other functionalities and encourage the viewer to do the same. This project questions our relationship with material and the notion of perception, and our view of the work as a sacred, central, dominant object. For Amine El Gotaibi, this change in our modes of perception is a foundational act. It can have an impact on our environment, on those around us and, why not, on our destiny. Marie Moignard - Art critic and curator
read more
ILLUMINATE THE LIGHT
According to Amine El Gotaibi's philosophy, an artist's existence depends on his ability to manipulate the codes of art. The Moroccan artist has spent the last two decades building his own artistic practice by deconstructing existing modes of functioning. In order to correct the dysfunctions of our world, he must shed light on its obscure points. From a cosmogonic perspective, the world owes its existence to the presence of light. It facilitated the creation of the universe and makes all the forms of the visible world apparent to us. In language, light is a central concept that serves to reveal. Common expressions such as "shedding light" on a subject or "clarifying" a mysterious situation demonstrate its importance. Despite its omnipresence, light is rarely materialised: we perceive it without seeing it. This is true of contemporary African art. While certain Western artists from cinema, performance or design have attempted to shape and make it tangible, no renowned African artist has yet created a significant work using light as a "raw material".It is in this unprecedented vein that Amine El Gotaibi is working today, paving the way for a new frontier in the art world. The presence of light allows artworks to appear, but it is rarely the focus of attention. Amine El Gotaibi’s main idea is to consider these traditionally established roles between artwork and light and to reverse them both aesthetically and semantically. In his project, instead of being illuminated by light, it is the work that highlights the light, that creates the light, that brings it to life. The work then becomes secondary and takes a path outside of the established system to bring out other functionalities and encourage the viewer to do the same. This project questions our relationship with material and the notion of perception, and our view of the work as a sacred, central, dominant object. For Amine El Gotaibi, this change in our modes of perception is a foundational act. It can have an impact on our environment, on those around us and, why not, on our destiny. Marie Moignard - Art critic and curator
read more
ILLUMINATE THE LIGHT
According to Amine El Gotaibi's philosophy, an artist's existence depends on his ability to manipulate the codes of art. The Moroccan artist has spent the last two decades building his own artistic practice by deconstructing existing modes of functioning. In order to correct the dysfunctions of our world, he must shed light on its obscure points. From a cosmogonic perspective, the world owes its existence to the presence of light. It facilitated the creation of the universe and makes all the forms of the visible world apparent to us. In language, light is a central concept that serves to reveal. Common expressions such as "shedding light" on a subject or "clarifying" a mysterious situation demonstrate its importance. Despite its omnipresence, light is rarely materialised: we perceive it without seeing it. This is true of contemporary African art. While certain Western artists from cinema, performance or design have attempted to shape and make it tangible, no renowned African artist has yet created a significant work using light as a "raw material".It is in this unprecedented vein that Amine El Gotaibi is working today, paving the way for a new frontier in the art world. The presence of light allows artworks to appear, but it is rarely the focus of attention. Amine El Gotaibi’s main idea is to consider these traditionally established roles between artwork and light and to reverse them both aesthetically and semantically. In his project, instead of being illuminated by light, it is the work that highlights the light, that creates the light, that brings it to life. The work then becomes secondary and takes a path outside of the established system to bring out other functionalities and encourage the viewer to do the same. This project questions our relationship with material and the notion of perception, and our view of the work as a sacred, central, dominant object. For Amine El Gotaibi, this change in our modes of perception is a foundational act. It can have an impact on our environment, on those around us and, why not, on our destiny. Marie Moignard - Art critic and curator
read more
Illuminate the Light / Installation of 7 Corten steel sculptures in the Somerset House Courtyard / 2023
Illuminate the Light / Installation of 7 Corten steel sculptures
in the Somerset House Courtyard / 2023
Illuminate the Light / Installation of 7 Corten steel sculptures
in the Somerset House Courtyard / 2023
AT THE SOURCE: FROM SHADOW TO LIGHT
For Amine El Gotaibi, the notion of light is strongly linked to the African continent. At the root of this persistent thinking is a stereotype that has been attached to Africa for far too long. It is often seen as obscure and obscurantist: Africa is portrayed as a blurred image whose exact contours are unknown, as a troubled territory, and its true potential is underestimated. Amine El Gotaibi wanted to counter this "dark" reputation by discovering the light of his own continent and letting it shine on the rest of the world. This project, designed for the courtyard of Somerset House, is the most successful realisation of his work to date.
In 2019, a groundbreaking text has reinforced this creative energy. As Amine El Gotaibi prepared to set foot in another African country for the first time, he immersed himself in Ryszard Kapuscinski’s travel writing: The Shadow of the Sun. In 1957, the Polish journalist described the emergence of a continent in full post-colonial transition.
Noting in particular that "time" was different there, he also observed that "in Africa, the sun is everywhere". With fewer skyscrapers and more sparse vegetation, the light in Africa shines more easily and fills the space completely.
The work Ba Moyi Ya Afrika, produced for the 1st Congo Biennale in Kinshasa in 2019, is Amine El Gotaibi’s response to Ryszard Kapuściński: for him, the sun is not everywhere.
Instead, the Moroccan artist theorises that "Africa has many suns", symbolised by its natural, human and economic resources. In this installation, the projectors already used light as a raw material to metaphorise these multiple and intense "suns of Africa".
Amine El Gotaibi’s project for the courtyard of Somerset House extends this reflection on the light of Africa, which takes on several aspects. In this work he demarcates a visual and mental territory. The artist uses a radical aesthetic language to give substance to this notion of resistance to the stereotypes forged by the West and to the radiance of the African continent through a luminous work.
read more
AT THE SOURCE: FROM SHADOW TO LIGHT
For Amine El Gotaibi, the notion of light is strongly linked to the African continent. At the root of this persistent thinking is a stereotype that has been attached to Africa for far too long. It is often seen as obscure and obscurantist: Africa is portrayed as a blurred image whose exact contours are unknown, as a troubled territory, and its true potential is underestimated. Amine El Gotaibi wanted to counter this "dark" reputation by discovering the light of his own continent and letting it shine on the rest of the world. This project, designed for the courtyard of Somerset House, is the most successful realisation of his work to date.
In 2019, a groundbreaking text has reinforced this creative energy. As Amine El Gotaibi prepared to set foot in another African country for the first time, he immersed himself in Ryszard Kapuscinski’s travel writing: The Shadow of the Sun. In 1957, the Polish journalist described the emergence of a continent in full post-colonial transition.
Noting in particular that "time" was different there, he also observed that "in Africa, the sun is everywhere". With fewer skyscrapers and more sparse vegetation, the light in Africa shines more easily and fills the space completely.
The work Ba Moyi Ya Afrika, produced for the 1st Congo Biennale in Kinshasa in 2019, is Amine El Gotaibi’s response to Ryszard Kapuściński: for him, the sun is not everywhere.
Instead, the Moroccan artist theorises that "Africa has many suns", symbolised by its natural, human and economic resources. In this installation, the projectors already used light as a raw material to metaphorise these multiple and intense "suns of Africa".
Amine El Gotaibi’s project for the courtyard of Somerset House extends this reflection on the light of Africa, which takes on several aspects. In this work he demarcates a visual and mental territory. The artist uses a radical aesthetic language to give substance to this notion of resistance to the stereotypes forged by the West and to the radiance of the African continent through a luminous work.
read more
AT THE SOURCE: FROM SHADOW TO LIGHT
For Amine El Gotaibi, the notion of light is strongly linked to the African continent. At the root of this persistent thinking is a stereotype that has been attached to Africa for far too long. It is often seen as obscure and obscurantist: Africa is portrayed as a blurred image whose exact contours are unknown, as a troubled territory, and its true potential is underestimated. Amine El Gotaibi wanted to counter this "dark" reputation by discovering the light of his own continent and letting it shine on the rest of the world. This project, designed for the courtyard of Somerset House, is the most successful realisation of his work to date.
In 2019, a groundbreaking text has reinforced this creative energy. As Amine El Gotaibi prepared to set foot in another African country for the first time, he immersed himself in Ryszard Kapuscinski’s travel writing: The Shadow of the Sun. In 1957, the Polish journalist described the emergence of a continent in full post-colonial transition.
Noting in particular that "time" was different there, he also observed that "in Africa, the sun is everywhere". With fewer skyscrapers and more sparse vegetation, the light in Africa shines more easily and fills the space completely.
The work Ba Moyi Ya Afrika, produced for the 1st Congo Biennale in Kinshasa in 2019, is Amine El Gotaibi’s response to Ryszard Kapuściński: for him, the sun is not everywhere.
Instead, the Moroccan artist theorises that "Africa has many suns", symbolised by its natural, human and economic resources. In this installation, the projectors already used light as a raw material to metaphorise these multiple and intense "suns of Africa".
Amine El Gotaibi’s project for the courtyard of Somerset House extends this reflection on the light of Africa, which takes on several aspects. In this work he demarcates a visual and mental territory. The artist uses a radical aesthetic language to give substance to this notion of resistance to the stereotypes forged by the West and to the radiance of the African continent through a luminous work.
read more
Illuminate the Light / Installation of 7 Corten steel sculptures in the Somerset House Courtyard / 2023
Illuminate the Light / Installation of 7 Corten steel sculptures
in the Somerset House Courtyard / 2023
Illuminate the Light / Installation of 7 Corten steel sculptures
in the Somerset House Courtyard / 2023
THE LIGHT OF AFRICA ILLUMINATES SOMERSET HOUSE
DAY TIME - By day, Amine El Gotaibi’s sculptural installation presents abstract forms scattered across the courtyard of Somerset House. Their geometric design and streamlined appearance contrast with the classic 18th-century architecture of this historic London site. The sculptures are made from Corten steel, a material with the unique property of being protected by its own oxidation. It is one of the raw materials used by Amine El Gotaibi to evoke a notion of essentiality and a sense of universality. If his work is indeed rooted in Africa, its message is for everyone. Every hour for 5 minutes, the sculptures emit a projection of smoke. This further embodies light, and in this way the installation comes to life, cutting out luminous shapes in the space created by the cut-out shapes of the sculptures. Light becomes a source rather than a destination. The use of smoke is also reminiscent of the ancestral means of communication used by tribes around the world. It is like a call to come and discover the work. Finally, the light is intensified by the presence of gold mirrors inside the sculptures. The light multiplies the reflections of the spectators, recalling the radiant wealth of Africa.
NIGHT TIME- When night falls, Amine El Gotaibi’s sculptures are transformed into a luminous installation, proving that, artistically and philosophically, a single form contains multiple possibilities. Materialised by the artist, it is through the presence of darkness that light can emerge. The cut-out sides that make up the sculptures, when the lighting system is activated, give rise to complementary luminous shapes that complement the sculptural form. This is at the heart of Amine El Gotaibi’s aesthetic and metaphysical intention: the work determines the light rather than being defined by it. The artist imagines this light as a warm colour with a golden hue, reminiscent of our own perception of sunlight, just as the ancient incandescent globe lamps attempted to reproduce the effects of the sun.
read more
THE LIGHT OF AFRICA ILLUMINATES SOMERSET HOUSE
DAY TIME - By day, Amine El Gotaibi’s sculptural installation presents abstract forms scattered across the courtyard of Somerset House. Their geometric design and streamlined appearance contrast with the classic 18th-century architecture of this historic London site. The sculptures are made from Corten steel, a material with the unique property of being protected by its own oxidation. It is one of the raw materials used by Amine El Gotaibi to evoke a notion of essentiality and a sense of universality. If his work is indeed rooted in Africa, its message is for everyone. Every hour for 5 minutes, the sculptures emit a projection of smoke. This further embodies light, and in this way the installation comes to life, cutting out luminous shapes in the space created by the cut-out shapes of the sculptures. Light becomes a source rather than a destination. The use of smoke is also reminiscent of the ancestral means of communication used by tribes around the world. It is like a call to come and discover the work. Finally, the light is intensified by the presence of gold mirrors inside the sculptures. The light multiplies the reflections of the spectators, recalling the radiant wealth of Africa.
NIGHT TIME- When night falls, Amine El Gotaibi’s sculptures are transformed into a luminous installation, proving that, artistically and philosophically, a single form contains multiple possibilities. Materialised by the artist, it is through the presence of darkness that light can emerge. The cut-out sides that make up the sculptures, when the lighting system is activated, give rise to complementary luminous shapes that complement the sculptural form. This is at the heart of Amine El Gotaibi’s aesthetic and metaphysical intention: the work determines the light rather than being defined by it. The artist imagines this light as a warm colour with a golden hue, reminiscent of our own perception of sunlight, just as the ancient incandescent globe lamps attempted to reproduce the effects of the sun.
read more
THE LIGHT OF AFRICA ILLUMINATES SOMERSET HOUSE
DAY TIME - By day, Amine El Gotaibi’s sculptural installation presents abstract forms scattered across the courtyard of Somerset House. Their geometric design and streamlined appearance contrast with the classic 18th-century architecture of this historic London site. The sculptures are made from Corten steel, a material with the unique property of being protected by its own oxidation. It is one of the raw materials used by Amine El Gotaibi to evoke a notion of essentiality and a sense of universality. If his work is indeed rooted in Africa, its message is for everyone. Every hour for 5 minutes, the sculptures emit a projection of smoke. This further embodies light, and in this way the installation comes to life, cutting out luminous shapes in the space created by the cut-out shapes of the sculptures. Light becomes a source rather than a destination. The use of smoke is also reminiscent of the ancestral means of communication used by tribes around the world. It is like a call to come and discover the work. Finally, the light is intensified by the presence of gold mirrors inside the sculptures. The light multiplies the reflections of the spectators, recalling the radiant wealth of Africa.
NIGHT TIME- When night falls, Amine El Gotaibi’s sculptures are transformed into a luminous installation, proving that, artistically and philosophically, a single form contains multiple possibilities. Materialised by the artist, it is through the presence of darkness that light can emerge. The cut-out sides that make up the sculptures, when the lighting system is activated, give rise to complementary luminous shapes that complement the sculptural form. This is at the heart of Amine El Gotaibi’s aesthetic and metaphysical intention: the work determines the light rather than being defined by it. The artist imagines this light as a warm colour with a golden hue, reminiscent of our own perception of sunlight, just as the ancient incandescent globe lamps attempted to reproduce the effects of the sun.
read more
Illuminate the Light / Installation of 7 Corten steel sculptures in the Somerset House Courtyard / 2023
Illuminate the Light / Installation of 7 Corten steel sculptures
in the Somerset House Courtyard / 2023
Illuminate the Light / Installation of 7 Corten steel sculptures
in the Somerset House Courtyard / 2023
LIGHT AS A LIVING MATERIAL
For Amine El Gotaibi, light comes directly from the African continent. Africa "is" light. His initiatory and artistic travel project Visit to Okavango, which he has been carrying out since 2011, from Morocco to the borders of South Africa, aims precisely to "trace a luminous path in Africa", to meet the continent’s artists and to promote intracontinental exchanges. In this work, designed for the Edmond J. Safra Fountain Court at Somerset House, he also reverses the relationship between source and destination. It is no longer light that is a tool for enhancing the work, but the work that becomes a tool for creating light. In this way, Amine El Gotaibi has chosen to put a traditional discipline, sculpture, at the service of light itself, to give form to a luminous installation. The public is invited to move between the sculptures, which resemble the houses of a village. The 7 sculptures are illuminated by an integrated electrical system concealed within the work. Amine El Gotaibi gives even more body to this light, which is usually impalpable, by making it almost tangible. To do this, he has devised a system of smoke projection that gives substance to this light, which becomes the very heart of the Illuminate the Light installation. The smoke reveals the light, initiating a dialogue between these two ethereal elements. It is reminiscent of what is known in Eastern spirituality as the "5th element", the void, untouchable but indispensable. The artist has designed a unique abstract matrix form composed of cut geometric sides. His sculptural play is based on the multiplication of this form throughout the space of the courtyard of Somerset House, each in a different arrangement. Thus, despite their common form, these sculptures offer multiple variations. The origin of this abstract form is rooted in the living. Amine El Gotaibi was inspired by the pomegranate that reveals itself when peeled. When you peel the fruit, you discover its inner shape, almost its identity. Similarly, when you take an interest in people, different paths, stories and human relationships unfold. For the artist, the fruit is also a metaphor for the African continent, while the seeds are an evocation of the countries that make it up.
read more
LIGHT AS A LIVING MATERIAL
For Amine El Gotaibi, light comes directly from the African continent. Africa "is" light. His initiatory and artistic travel project Visit to Okavango, which he has been carrying out since 2011, from Morocco to the borders of South Africa, aims precisely to "trace a luminous path in Africa", to meet the continent’s artists and to promote intracontinental exchanges. In this work, designed for the Edmond J. Safra Fountain Court at Somerset House, he also reverses the relationship between source and destination. It is no longer light that is a tool for enhancing the work, but the work that becomes a tool for creating light. In this way, Amine El Gotaibi has chosen to put a traditional discipline, sculpture, at the service of light itself, to give form to a luminous installation. The public is invited to move between the sculptures, which resemble the houses of a village. The 7 sculptures are illuminated by an integrated electrical system concealed within the work. Amine El Gotaibi gives even more body to this light, which is usually impalpable, by making it almost tangible. To do this, he has devised a system of smoke projection that gives substance to this light, which becomes the very heart of the Illuminate the Light installation. The smoke reveals the light, initiating a dialogue between these two ethereal elements. It is reminiscent of what is known in Eastern spirituality as the "5th element", the void, untouchable but indispensable. The artist has designed a unique abstract matrix form composed of cut geometric sides. His sculptural play is based on the multiplication of this form throughout the space of the courtyard of Somerset House, each in a different arrangement. Thus, despite their common form, these sculptures offer multiple variations. The origin of this abstract form is rooted in the living. Amine El Gotaibi was inspired by the pomegranate that reveals itself when peeled. When you peel the fruit, you discover its inner shape, almost its identity. Similarly, when you take an interest in people, different paths, stories and human relationships unfold. For the artist, the fruit is also a metaphor for the African continent, while the seeds are an evocation of the countries that make it up.
read more
LIGHT AS A LIVING MATERIAL
For Amine El Gotaibi, light comes directly from the African continent. Africa "is" light. His initiatory and artistic travel project Visit to Okavango, which he has been carrying out since 2011, from Morocco to the borders of South Africa, aims precisely to "trace a luminous path in Africa", to meet the continent’s artists and to promote intracontinental exchanges. In this work, designed for the Edmond J. Safra Fountain Court at Somerset House, he also reverses the relationship between source and destination. It is no longer light that is a tool for enhancing the work, but the work that becomes a tool for creating light. In this way, Amine El Gotaibi has chosen to put a traditional discipline, sculpture, at the service of light itself, to give form to a luminous installation. The public is invited to move between the sculptures, which resemble the houses of a village. The 7 sculptures are illuminated by an integrated electrical system concealed within the work. Amine El Gotaibi gives even more body to this light, which is usually impalpable, by making it almost tangible. To do this, he has devised a system of smoke projection that gives substance to this light, which becomes the very heart of the Illuminate the Light installation. The smoke reveals the light, initiating a dialogue between these two ethereal elements. It is reminiscent of what is known in Eastern spirituality as the "5th element", the void, untouchable but indispensable. The artist has designed a unique abstract matrix form composed of cut geometric sides. His sculptural play is based on the multiplication of this form throughout the space of the courtyard of Somerset House, each in a different arrangement. Thus, despite their common form, these sculptures offer multiple variations. The origin of this abstract form is rooted in the living. Amine El Gotaibi was inspired by the pomegranate that reveals itself when peeled. When you peel the fruit, you discover its inner shape, almost its identity. Similarly, when you take an interest in people, different paths, stories and human relationships unfold. For the artist, the fruit is also a metaphor for the African continent, while the seeds are an evocation of the countries that make it up.
read more
