Abdullah El Hariri

Abdullah El Hariri is a painter and a poet. He did not develop his career but discovered his vocation for art later in life. He was born into an artistic gradually, environment where he found himself naturally thrust into artistic debate. He adopted calligraphy as a mode of expression, only to be recognised as the first Moroccan to do so. He still lives and works in Morocco. What makes El Hariri’s work different is his devotion to the deconstruction of structure and codes that traditionally dominate Arabic calligraphy. He has to his credit a whole vocabulary, grammar and style that sets his work apart. Abdullah El Hariri has maintained his presence in the Moroccan art scene for thirty years. He attended the Ecole des Beaux- Arts de Casablanca from 1965-69, and the Institut Europeen d’Architecture et de Design in Rome in 1973. He is a member and founding member of many associations including the Association Marocaine des Arts Plastiques, Cite des Arts, Club al Baida, Maison de la Poesie, as well as the Syndicat des Plasticiens Marocains. He has taken part in many and group exhibitions in Morocco and abroad where his works have been individual shown with much acclaim in Tunisia, Japan, Lebanon, Libya, USA, Canada, China, England, Spain, Iraq, Belgium, Mauritania, and Kuwait. Solo exhibitions include Galerie Alif- ba, Casablanca – 2000, Forum Casablanca - 1999, Espace Carrefour des Arts, Casablanca – 1996, Galerie Bassamat, Casablanca – 1991, Galerie Marc Pressin, Grenoble, France – 1985, Galerie Nada, Casablanca -1981. El Hariri operates on two distinct but complementary levels: first on the level of artistic creativity; second on the level of ideas and debates relating to artistic creativity. He was one of the first artists to introduce Arab lettering into pictorial works.