For this article in the international artist series, we turn to Morocco, featuring six artists who create fantastic work, from 3D illustrations to graphic designs and more! I asked each artist how their country and culture inspired their work, and they delivered fantastic answers. Enjoy!
Mohamed Amine Belcaid
Mohamed, aka Medamine Belcaid, is a graphic designer based in Casablanca, Morocco. His work features out of this world 3D illustrations with abstract shapes and vivid colors. Check out a small selection of his work below, or see more in his portfolio.
The Cover Project
I love everything about my country. It's my home, where my family and friends are, and my whole life is here. The lifestyle drives me to develop my artistic side and push the limits for my clients. I'm used to the Moroccan lifestyle because it's the energy I need to keep going.
Clik here to view.
Meeds Alphabets V1.2
Religion has influenced my work a little, I must say. I'm Muslim and therefore I follow its principles. Sometimes I have to refuse work because it's forbidden in our region. But there are millions of other products I can work on, so I just turn down anything I'm not comfortable with.
Clik here to view.
Marlboro Dark
Clik here to view.
Moroccan Creative People
I personally started in this field learning from sites like Envato Tuts+, but the art community here needs more work and could use more development.
Clik here to view.
Salwa Nassif
Salwa is a graphic designer based in Casablanca, Morocco. Her work features beautiful flat designs inspired by Moroccan architecture and incredible patterns. Check out a small selection of her work below, or see more in her portfolio.
Moroccan Posters
I love the simplicity of life in Morocco, as well as the richness of culture and tradition. And as a person who is passionate about art and design, there is so much inspiration here in Morocco.
Clik here to view.
Moroccan House
Most of my artwork is influenced by my Arabic and Amazigh background, and also by Moroccan crafts.
Clik here to view.
Moroccan House 2
Clik here to view.
Bird Girl
I rarely visit museums and art galleries, but I am a member of a group of digital artists where we challenge ourselves to create each month. I'm also a member of an association composed of artists and designers who try to merge the two worlds of electronics and art together.
Clik here to view.
Abdo Achtioui
Abdo is a 3D artist and graphic designer based in Casablanca, Morocco. His work features amazing 3D designs of product work and technology. Check out a small selection of his work below, or see more in his portfolio.
Engine V1
What I love about Morocco is that we cooperate with one another and the people are very kind. I also love that we are very hardworking and always in the pursuit of knowledge and vitality.
Clik here to view.
2016 - Construction
Morocco is a tourist country. And I enjoy the scenic and unique exploits here. That's what I love most about living here and it has significantly impacted my work!
Clik here to view.
2015 - Design
Clik here to view.
Ship-M-46
I think there is large art community here, ranging from artists who create sculptures on wood, to painters and graphic designers.
Clik here to view.
Ghita Bensouda
Ghita is a graphic designer based in Rabat, Morocco. Her work features sleek designs for products and websites. Check out a small selection of her work below, or see more in her portfolio.
Musée Beaux Art Montréal
I am Moroccan and have lived my whole life in Morocco. I would describe my country as a warm and welcoming one. Culture is a huge aspect of our everyday life here, as well as our traditions through gastronomy, craftsmanship, and music.
Clik here to view.
Website - ONCF Train
Contemporary Moroccan art incorporates both tradition and modernity. I feel like the Zellige embodies this fact—it's a traditional mosaic made out of colored earthenware. Nowadays it's one of the trendiest graphic design themes in the country, and has a lot of success abroad. I also have to mention a unique inspirational place for me, the souks. Souks are our local markets where craftsmen show their work in a beautiful collection of colors, materials, and patterns!
Clik here to view.
Les Émotifs
Clik here to view.
Vivlma
The art community in Morocco in still growing, and is currently going through a crucial development phase. More and more artists want to commit to their art fully while also promoting it.
Clik here to view.
Mohcine Elabaidi
Mohcine is a 3D designer based in Rabat, Morocco. His work features exquisite 3D designs of architecture and interior design spaces. Check out a small selection of his work below, or see more in his portfolio.
3D Couper
I love every human being, so here in Morocco, there are really good people. I see love and fraternity between people and a brotherhood within the society. Furthermore, we are very proud of our spirituality and the ancient culture we have here. So I invite everyone to come and discover Morocco!
Clik here to view.
Bureau
In Morocco where I live, people, nature, and culture inspire me more than anything else. They all give me the power to exist, love, and share art with every human being around the world.
Clik here to view.
Kitchen
Clik here to view.
Bedroom
The art community here is very creative, and I'm very proud to be a part of this country's art and history. We are working very hard to be more unified and I’m very optimistic about the future of art in Morocco. We are working wonders and are very proud to show our art to the world.
Clik here to view.
Yousra Kessam
Yousra is a graphic designer based in Rabat, Morocco. Her work features a unique collection of book designs, logos, and brochures. Check out a small selection of her work below, or see more in her portfolio.
Tri-fold Brochure: Festival Jidar
Diversity is everywhere. There’s diversity in the landscape, the cities, and the architecture has a mix of African and Islamic influences. There is something about Morocco which cannot be explained in words, so you just have to come here to feel it.
Clik here to view.
Book Design: Zaha Hadid
Morocco is full of inspiration you just can’t miss. What influenced me the most is the Islamic architecture, especially the geometric patterns that we find in tiles, and the mosque called Zellij. The combination of geometric shapes and colors is just super fascinating, and I’m really obsessed with it!
Clik here to view.
Program - ODYSSUD
Clik here to view.
Mockup - ODYSSUD
In Morocco there aren’t a lot of art and design schools so we do have a lack of art education. But the good thing is that it’s starting to change. The newer generations are working very hard to give art its real value, to raise awareness, and to create a unified community. Lately there are a lot of innovative initiatives aimed to help young artists, and we all support each other. Our community is getting bigger and stronger every day.
Clik here to view.
Many thanks to the artists who took time to answer my questions and share a bit about themselves and how their country and/or culture has affected their work. You can check out more of their work in the links below:
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
Clik here to view.