Anatomy of a Model - Summer 2010
About The Painting
ANATOMY OF A MODEL was painted during a very turbulent time (2010). As I struggled to make sense of all the changes that were happening around me. Channeling that anger and that disappointment, I used what I call a "mother" canvas, applied the shapes and colours, took a new canvas, press it had and even stepped and stomped on it. I must admit, this process felt rather liberating. I repeated it several times, until I felt colours and forms were well transferred from the mother canvas to the new one.
Measurements: 100 x 100cm
Why Anatomy of a Model was painted
I found it very hard to tell my ex wife how much I hated all the changes that were happening around me and found it even harder to tell her that I hated all the plastic surgery she had done. I hated it, passionately.
Her last operation was the last drop for me as it put an end to anything authentic. I just couldn't understand why such beautiful woman needed plastic surgery.
Not long after this canvas was painted we ended the relationship and I went back to enjoying a more meaningful and more authentic life.
Figure Crying Gold - January 15th 2025
About The Painting
A greedy general weeps the loss of money and fortune as the aftermath of his life's epic achievements slowly turns out to be all but rich. A life spent chasing glory and wins quickly results in a bitter and sad realisation. The figure is all but victorious. Still a fragment of resilience before all hope fades.
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Measurements: 100 x 100cm
Why Figure Crying Gold was painted
I have chased so many dreams, and at the age of 46, I come to the realisation that most have faded against a background of anger and dismay. Certe, I am neither the first or the last.
As I approach what is now half of a life, I am coming to term with what I have done, and I am accepting that the next chapter is about control, not power.
The Big Eid - April 24th 2025
About The Painting
The Big Eid refers to the day Muslims all over the world sacrifice a lamb to celebrate that time Abraham almost slaughtered his own son, Isaac. The Devine intervention came down faster than the dagger, and Isaac was grateful.
Two things inspired this particular painting, the above mentioned day and a Francis Bacon painting where he delved into hanging carcasses. His is obviously deprived of any religious depth, whereas mine is all but one layered!
The Face/carcass shows my horror at the very idea of slaughter and at the fact that this is still taking place in this day and age. My horror as a child as I was made to watch those poor animals go from friend/pet to blood-jiggling, twitching victims. I knew as a kid this was not ok and that if god did in fact command us to make a sacrifice it must have been a hypothetical spiritual one. But we humans love to do more than the gods. So we slaughter and we perpetuate.
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Measurements: 70 x 100cm
Why The Big Eid was painted
This painting was way overdue and couldn't have come at a better time as we prepare in the muslim world to slaughter millions of innocent creatures in the name of god.
Modern muslims have abandoned this practice decades ago and replaced it with a more "humane" one; namely buying meat from a supermarket. But most still want to surpass Abraham.
So, there we have it, a face-carcass to commemorate sacrifice by Elton John.
Albatross - May 5th 2025
About The Painting
They say look at the bright side. I say no, look at the dark side first. There is more pleasure in the faint hope of finding some sort of light than darkness. At some point the mediocrity is all that is visible. Hope and expectation are just antonyms to illusion and delusion. What is there to see? Well, there's more to life than other people. So we glide, we try and expand, we fly elsewhere where there is less of us and more of the unknown. We mate with destiny, for life. We stay the course and we watch from the rough and rigid rock we landed on. And then we go again. We nest, we enjoy and we let the currents guide us. Never expecting a thing, never hoping, just being.
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Measurements: 70 x 100cm
Why Albatross was painted
As I long for a sense of belonging, it is now clear that some of us are just destined to be wanderers. As very little things start to make sense, it is important I stay grounded. Let the art glide and go places, while I nest and observe. For now, for now...
The painting is some sort of an anchor, to remind me of why I am here for now.
Tibeteen - Winter 2009
About The Painting
We met when I was young. Alone in Lancaster, I would roam the streets of the town centre and stare at people's faces. Hers was the most radiant and most fascinating. At first I thought she was a tourist, but I saw her again and again. One evening I saw her in an old pub, she wasn't alone, I was too young and lacked the courage to approach her, let alone have a meaningful conversation with her. In my head, I stood no chance. How could I when I didn't even know what I wanted from this beautiful creature! would she be a friend, a girlfriend...a companion. That evening I gathered my strength and walked up to her as she was leaving and asked if she'd stay for another 10 minutes. The rejection came faster than the question. Picked my ego and walked back to the bar...Weeks went by and I saw her again on New Year's eve 1999, somewhere by the river walking with her friend. She saw me and invited me for a sip of a disgusting sparkling wine. Nothing ever tasted as good as that bottle, her lips had just touched the bottle. She thought I was Spanish, I told her about Sousse and Béja, about Berbers and she told me about Tibet. As we walked back to the town centre, there was a little ally, she grabbed my hand and we run. We kissed...Tibeteen passed away a year later and I never met anyone from Tibet again.
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Measurements: 100x85cm
Private Collection
Why Tibeteen was painted
During the twilight years of my previous marriage, things started to look very confusing in my head. All that violence and all that chaos, I needed to go back to a time when I had serenity, peace and guidance. I needed to find Tibeteen again. I sat in front of a black canvas one morning and only left the studio a day later. With every brush stroke I felt I was about to faint. Fear and a sense of responsibility helped me finish this painting.
It sat there for years, before I finally shared it with people.
To the Whittons - 11th of August 2014
About 'To the Whittons'
It was 1999, the dawn of a new millennium, one of my favorite years. I was alone and living in a beautiful town called Lancaster, North West of England. I quickly established a strong connection with the Lancashire region and admired the people there. Lancasterians quickly adopted me as one of their own, not once did I feel like a stranger. I hardly spoke English then, but knew enough words to get a pint or two with the few quids mum used to send me. I knew my time in Lancaster wasn't going to last and that another adventure awaited me somewhere down south. I loved many and many loved me. My visits to the Lake District area opened my eyes and made me realise how beautiful the people of the north are. Coniston still holds a very dear place in my heart. Those curious blonde Coniston girls, the fresh beers, the hikes, the Old Man peak, Gemma, Laurna, Emily, Steven, Gavin, Haley... we were happy and we enjoyed listening to the waterfalls while sharing a spliff or two. The air was crisp and John Ruskin's house was always staring right back at us. Buying bread in Lancaster meant taking the bus and then walking across the town centre, the English love to design their town-centers with very special tiles and tailor made bricks, in Lancaster they were red. I would then cross the street and go for a pint at the Merchant, an old pub right by where the old castle is, from there I'd walk back all the way to my house, taking a long detour where The Whittons lived - a sumptuous demeur with the tiniest river/stream flowing across it. It was Hilary who taught me how to say "Knife, spoon, fork and water (not wa'ar), and it was David who taught me what a 'slapper' meant while we watched Coronation Street. Of course I was mischievous, sometimes naughty, I was still a young boy from North Africa. But there was always Shiela, John, David and Hilary to teach me a good lesson whenever I needed one.
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Measurements: 100 x 100cm
Sold
Why 'To the Whittons' was painted
Every now and then, I forget few things, fragments of my Lancaster memories started becoming very blurred and I fear I will lose them one day. To the Whittons is a way for me to engrave those memories for ever. The canvas was delicately caressed and I was conscious while painting it. It took me two or three days to establish a good sketch in my head and to find the right emotional balance before I even applied colour. This is very unusual as I am used to a more abrupt and intense approach. To the Whittons is a testament that life is colourful everywhere we go, as long as we let it adopt us and we let ourselves go with the flow.
Mimosa - May the 2nd 2019
About Mimosa
Mimosa is the name of a wild yet delicate flower that blossoms and announces the start of the spring season in the Mediterranean. Mimosa is also the name of an old charming hotel in Tabarka, Tunisia, North Africa. The hotel has the same colours as the Mimosa tree and sits on top of a hill. The painting is a map of all the emotions and the slow walks my wife and I experience every time we visit Tabarka. The sea view from Hotel Les Mimosas is breathtaking, a mixture of solid whites, deep sea blues, gentle turquoises and a touch of gold yellows.
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Measurements: 120 x 80cm
Being Restored
Why Mimosa was painted
Listening to Caravan, I felt a sudden urge,
a fear almost. I didn't want to worry about details, I just had to let it out. I remembered how I used to paint as a child, the painting started taking form and I finally found that fragile balance between the spontaneous child and the mature man.
Old Friends and a Lady With Two Hearts - Winter 2014
About The Painting
One of the very rare commissioned paintings, 'Old Friends and a Lady With Two hearts' depicts a night out with three friends at La Closerie Tunis.
This evening wouldn't have happened if it weren't for Sofyen Habibi’s commitment to good life and friendship. Sofyen is an old friend from school and our friendship dates back to the early 90s. I had the pleasure to reconnect with him during my 2013 break in Tunis. Sofyen made sure he brought his gracious wife and both of them told us (Khaled Jnifen and I) about Mariem’s pregnancy.
This is a generous painting, I didn't want it to be subtle and even included the name of the wine we shared that night. The strokes were honest, almost out of control, just like the way our evening unfolded.
Sofyen passed away on the 10th of March 2024.
Medium: Oil on Unprimed Canvas
Measurements: 120x70cm
Belong's to Sofyen's family
Why was Old Friends and a Lady With Two Hearts painted
My mates and I had a great time and I didn't mind being commissioned as I would have painted this scene anyway as part of my relentless effort to immortalise good times.
Having suddenly lost Sofyen in 2024, this painting is a living proof that capturing great memories and good times is essential.
Gramma's Courtyard (Dar Mima) - Winter 2024
About The Painting
A fast and emotional painting. Very personal as it depicts one of the spaces that are dearest to me. The courtyard in my gramma's old traditional home is where most life happened. Before its transformation in the 2000s, Oust Eddar - or courtyard - saw generations of Ghanmis grow and flourish. My grandmother spent most of her life in this house, situated in the old part of Béja, North West of Tunisia. The painting is an attempt to capture my father having a nap under the fig tree. Red was the actual colour of the floor. Most Tunisian families would quickly connect with this space as it probably evokes similar if not identical memories.
The brushstrokes are fast and somewhat chaotic, this is due to the fact that the brush was old and damaged and also because this all painted on the back of an canvas. The unprimed side can be unforgiving as it doesn't allow for any corrections. This is perfect for me when I paint old fading memories.
Medium: Oil on Unprimed Canvas
Measurements: 100x100cm
Why Dar Mima was painted
One of my missions is to capture moments in the time of my people. Immortalizing them so I and my sons may revisit them whenever we need to.
Africa Blue - Winter 2017
About The Painting
Karolina and I went to Kenya for a sumptuous safari. We took in the whole vibe, like children we were experiencing things for the first time. Senses heightened, love enriched...we saw the most beautiful beasts; the illusive leopard, the funny baboon and the heart-broken wildebeest. Lions roamed free, we heard their roars late at night as we slept in our Hemingway tent. We were rejuvenated. In the Mara, and after Benson Leparan (our guide) made sure I didn't chicken out, I proposed to the most gracious woman, Karolina.
Few days later, to further celebrate the moment, I offered her a blue precious stone from Mombasa. That evening Karolina wore her necklace as she stood in the balcony of a charming Diani Beach hotel. I could swear I saw the universe in her eyes that night.
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Measurements: 40x40cm
Private collection
Why was Africa Blue painted
With Karolina it is easy to feel at peace with the universe. It is easy to smile back at the skies and be grateful. Although she's not one for much poetry and showing of affection, Africa Blue had to be painted, for me.
The painting might be small, but it has massive emotional depth.
It now hangs in my wife's childhood home in Poland.
Les Huit Soldats (The Eight Soldiers) - July 29th 2013
About The Painting
Abrupt and spontaneously painted, there was no other choice but to rush to the studio and grab whatever paint was available. Had there been a bigger canvas I would have used it. The pain was unimaginable, it felt like I was the one who's just been shot and killed. To think of the pain our heroes had to endure was nothing short of torture. The brush strokes were sudden and very thick, almost mimicking the tears and the intolerable anger I'd just felt. Dealing with death is ok, but dealing with treachery and terror was very new to me and to many of my countrymen and women. I can still hear the screams of horror filling the air, tearing through my ears as I was trying to paint and express this somber day. I rushed and painted as fast as I could, hoping to keep those eight slain soldiers somehow alive. Guernica and other paintings depicting horror appeared. I could barely see colour, brush or strokes, I was fighting my own tears as I heard family and neighbors weep. Rest In Peace.
During an exhibition in Sidi Bou Said, winter 2014, a group of active soldiers and a lieutenant asked if they could place the Tunisian flag right next to the painting and requested that the painting never be sold. The canvas will never be sold and the Tunisian flag will forever be by its side.
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Measurements: 200x100cm
Private Collection
Why Les Huit Soldats was painted
Sometimes, there is no answer to 'Why?'
Sometimes it is just a human thing, a duty...
A duty to perpetuate those who fell victim to terror. Killed because they were protecting us from the horrors of this world. Artists should never shy away from immortalizing those who stood for what's right. Instead of feeling powerless, I could only do one thing, paint them.