Morocco

_{Posted on Monday: 18-06-2007}

Tibari Kantour's art

_{A well-established and respected mid-career artist, Tibari Kantour is considered one of  Morocco's finest artists working with paper,:  Also a master printer, over the years Mr. Kantour has developed unique processes and equipment  for making paper.  The artist lives and works in the Moroccan countryside, and part of the reason for these unique processes and equipment has been that where standard materials and equipment  have not always been readily at hand.}

_{Mr. Kantour uses several techniques in creating his paper.  With wet pulp he shapes, models and builds up an individual piece of paper.  Previously made pieces of paper may be added, in a collage-like fashion.  As he works, the paper becomes heavily textured, and he may embed organic elements directly into the wet paper.  There is an ancient, elemental look to this paper, as if made in collaboration between the artist and natural forces. The leaves of paper are works of art in themselves.}

_{While making this paper, again using a variety of techniques,  the artist adds his personal vocabulary of marks and images, to truly makes it speak. He may introduce paint, ink or natural pigment into the wet paper.  This may be done in a controlled fashion to make distinct marks or by bleeding  colour into the paper to create chance shapes and images.  While the paper is still wet the artist may incise lines and marks into it. When the paper dries he may then print onto it.}

_{By the late 1980s Mr. Kantour had developed a mastery of his techniques, allowing him to concentrate on manipulating his paper to realize his artistic vision.  For him, this vision can only be achieved through a true union of material and content.  This content, the artist's soul, is a direct reflection of the natural world in which he lives and works in, far removed from urban centers.  His work seems a communion with sky, earth and tree.  In pursuit of this sacred dialogue, bits of Arabic script may coexist with an elemental, natural script that flows through the artist onto the paper.  Mr. Kantour's art appears as a beautiful visual record of ancient dialogues between humankind and a higher world, whether Nature or God.}

_{Article courtesy of World Bank.}

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