View the World 'Upside-Down'

Nouria El Alami-Alj Hakim, wife of Jaafar Alj Hakim, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco to China [Women of China English Monthly]

Nouria El Alami-Alj Hakim, wife of Jaafar Alj Hakim, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco to China, held her solo exhibition, Casablanca, at the Park Hyatt Beijing Hotel on May 9-15. The oil paintings on display revealed Nouria's understanding of landscapes, creatures and the Moroccan and Chinese art about which she is passionate. Nouria says paintings, literature, music and other forms of art offer a person a way to express his/her views about the world.

Zhang Zikang, Deputy-Director of the National Art Museum of China, says Nouria is "a passionate artist, who adopts a diversity of styles in her paintings, and who reveals her own perceptions about Chinese and Oriental cultures in her works of art."

During her exhibition, held in Beijing in early May, Women of China (WOC) interviewed Nouria, who shared her views on Chinese art and cultural communications between Morocco and China. The following is that interview:

WOC: Your exhibition is entitled Casablanca, which is also the name of a city in northwestern Morocco. Why did you choose that name for the exhibition?

Nouria: The city of Casablanca is very precious to me. I grew up there, and it was in that city that my character traits (as an individual) were initially formed. Casablanca is a cosmopolitan city. It is the city in which I developed my passion for painting. As you know, a person's childhood usually has a special influence upon the way he/she will grow into an adult. For me, Casablanca is an important part of my childhood.

WOC: Some of your paintings depict Chinese opera singers. When did you listen to a traditional Chinese opera for the first time? What impressed you most?

Nouria: It has been a long time since I saw the (performance of) Peking Opera, in a film, for the first time. After I arrived in Beijing with my husband, in 2009, we were invited by a friend to attend a private dinner (reception), which was held in a magnificent ancient courtyard located in a hutong. We watched a live show of Peking Opera. I was pleased to touch a singer's costume after the performance.

I liked the embroideries and the symphony of colors (of that costume) very much. What impressed me most were the singers' voices, and the various expressions in their eyes, as well as the choreography. It was at that moment that the idea of "freezing" the opera on canvas came to me. To make it look real, I placed on the canvas a piece of ancient Chinese embroidery, which I purchased in an antique market, and I finished the oil painting, Opera Singer, in 2012.

WOC: You became a consultant to traditional Chinese haute couture (the designing and making of high-quality fashionable clothing) in 2014. Please share your insights into the development of China's fashion industry?

Nouria: I find that Chinese stylists and designers are great creators. More and more Chinese brands, which are becoming known in the field of fashion design, get their inspiration from Chinese culture from the past; for instance, traditional embroideries that reveal knowledge about ancient China.

I believe in the coming decade, Chinese creators will show their talents in designing fashions and prêt-à-porter (ready-to-wear, which refers to factory-made clothing) in the world. Chinese creators' originality lay in the inspiration they receive from their cultural heritage.

WOC: The World Upside-Down, a painting you finished in 2011, reveals the importance of viewing the world from a different angle. You say that you generally feel happy when you are painting. What happy moments have you experienced recently?

Nouria: The latest pleasures I have enjoyed included visits to museums in San Francisco, the United States, where I saw works of great artists, and also a visit to an exposition in Paris, where I saw French artist Pierre Bonnard's works. In the upcoming months, I hope to complete a painting with a Chinese artist. I want to see to what extent our divergences (in creating works of art) will (be combined to) create a cultural synergy.

(Source: Women of China English Monthly August 2015 Issue)