RACHID KORAÏCHI

Rachid Koraïchi was born in Ain Beida, Algeria, in 1947, and now lives and works in Tunisia and France. He first studied at the Institute of Fine Arts and the Superior National School of the Arts in Algeria, before moving to France to continue his studies at the National School of Decorative Arts and the School of Urban Studies in Paris. Koraichi’s work extends across an impressive range of materials which include ceramics, textiles, bronze, Corten steel, alabaster, print and etching on paper and paint on canvas. His work is influenced by a fascination with signs: symbols, glyphs and ciphers drawn from a variety of languages and cultures.

October Gallery first showed Koraichi’s work in 2003 and has presented three solo exhibitions amongst numerous external projects. In 2011, the Gallery collaborated with ADMAF to present Koraichi’s masterpiece Path of Roses, dedicated to Rumi, in Abu Dhabi. In 2015, he completed work on his largest, installation to date, La Priere des Absents, honouring his parents. In 2019, Casa Arabe, Madrid, hosted the exhibition This Long Journey into your Gaze (with Factum Arte) and Rachid bought agricultural land in Zarzis, Tunisia, with his daughters, Aicha and Fatma, to create a memorial resting place, Jardin d’Afrique, for migrants of all nationalities and religions who died crossing the Mediterranean Sea.

In 2011, seven of the 99 banners of The Invisible Masters (2010) won the prestigious Jameel Prize at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK. This major installation was first shown in its entirety at Haus der Kunst, Munich, Germany, 2010. Major public collections include the British Museum, London, UK; the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, New York, USA; the Newark Museum, Newark, USA; the National Gallery, Amman, Jordan; the Miami Art Museum, Miami, USA; the Guggenheim, Abu Dhabi, UAE; and the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, New Delhi, India.