Ghizlane Sahli

Belonging, in social, religious, sexual and national terms, is a prison from which one needs to set free – this idea lies at the core of Ghizlane Sahli’s installation, whose title recalls Gustave Courbet’s famous work, L’origine du monde. If acquired identities are stripped away, only the primitive origin remains, purified from any preconception. The only true origin that unites everyone on earth is the mother, a term which in French is etymologically similar to the “sea” (only one “e” differentiates them). The installation also gives voice to an ecological and social message: together with other Moroccan women, Ghizlane collects thousands of plastic bottles, cuts and mounts them on thick metal structures, covers them with silk vegetable fibres and assembles them in “alveoli” that seem to generate new living organisms.

Ghizlane Sahli (1973, Meknes, Morocco) lives and works in Marrakesh. Her works range from drawing to installations, including sculptures, painting and embroideries, and are deeply informed by her background in architecture and her interest in environmental sustainability. Her works can be found in prestigious international collections, among them, since February 2020, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. She explores the transformation of matter and gives it meaning and emotion by creating silk embroideries on waste materials.