M’barek Bouhchichi: Les mains des poètes

Fondation H presents Les mains des poètes, a solo exhibition by Moroccan artist M’barek Bouhchichi, curated by Hobisoa Raininoro.

In 2025, Bouhchichi began the project with a six-week immersive residency in Madagascar’s capital. He explored the city, wandered through markets, and observed the vitality of local craftsmanship. His creative process unfolded through encounters with blacksmiths, ceramists, weavers, designers, and musicians. Visiting workshops and engaging with local communities, he absorbed the earth, materials, history, and stories that animate them. These interactions formed the foundation of the project and shaped the collaborations that brought the exhibited works to life. All pieces, entirely new, were produced between Morocco and Antananarivo from August 2025 to March 2026.

Les mains des poètes celebrates Madagascar, a land of oral traditions where words and gestures are inseparable. Bouhchichi evokes the sorabe [great writing], an Arabico-Malagasy script developed in the 15th century by the Antemoro people. Born from the need to preserve memory and transmit knowledge—religious, historical, political, and spiritual—the sorabe became a tool of identity and agency, enabling Malagasy scholars (Katibo) to transform Arabic-inspired script into their own expression, long before the Latin alphabet was introduced by British missionaries in the 19th century. […]

"We are the alphabet that composes the words, we are writings." —M’barek Bouhchichi