Born 1986. Draguignan, France
Lives and works Paris, France & Marrakech, Morroco
Sara Ouhaddou's culture informs her practice as a continuous dialogue. She began her career as a designer for fashion brands including Lancôme, but has moved towards a more social practice, addressing the diverse challenges facing the artisan craftsmen community in Morocco. Her practice questions the availability of design as a tool for economic, social and cultural development with a focus on the Arab world. Sara's art is deeply rooted in cultural exploration and the intersection of traditional and contemporary aesthetics. She often draws from her Moroccan heritage, blending artisanal craft techniques with modern artistic practices. Her work explores themes of identity, globalization, and the transformation of cultural symbols. Through her use of materials such as textiles, ceramics, and mosaics, her art reflects on the idea of cultural exchange and the shifting meanings of objects as they move through different contexts.
Sara Ouhaddou has participated in numerous prestigious artist residencies, including the French Institute Artist Residency in Morocco (Dar Al Ma Mûn, 2013-2014), Edge of Arabia Artist Program in NYC (ISCP NYC 2015), and the CULTURUNNERS project in Detroit and San Diego (2015). More recently, she honed her creative process at Villa Albertine in both Houston and Los Angeles and through the Art Explora program at Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris. These global experiences have played a key role in shaping her dynamic artistic approach.
Her work has been featured in solo exhibitions, including Display at IFA Berlin (with a second part opening soon at MACAAL Marrakech), curated by Meriem Berrada and Alya Sebti, and Assieds-toi, prend un verre de thé at Fondation Thalie, curated by Nathalie Guiot and Ludovic Delalande. Ouhaddou has also participated in prominent group shows such as Être Méditerranée at MO.CO. Montepellier Contemporain, the Biennale Ghërdeina in Italy, the Triennale Chaleur Humaine in Dunkerque and Global(e) Resistance at Centre Pompidou, Paris. Through these exhibitions, her work resonates within complex thematic frameworks, addressing global and social issues.
Her contributions to the art world have earned her various awards, including the 2014 Arab Fund For Art and Culture (AFAC) Award and the 2015 Wanted Design NYC Special Prize. Additionally, her pieces are part of renowned public collections, such as the Centre Georges Pompidou and the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.