Nassim Azarzar
Born in 1989 in Épinay-sur-Seine, France
Lives and works in Rabat, Morocco
Nassim Azarzar (1989) is an artist who explores the semantics of shapes—how forms convey meaning—with a particular emphasis on diasporic experiences and vernacular aesthetics. His seminal research into the decorative practices of trucks transporting goods across Moroccan cities—vehicles whose layered ornamentation emerges from perpetual mobility—echoes his own sense of in-betweenness as someone born in France to Moroccan parents. This investigation became the basis of his emerging visual language, which spans painting, sculpture, graphic design, experimental cinema, poetry, and sound, embracing fluidity and challenging fixed notions of belonging.
Growing up in Épinay-sur-Seine, a Parisian suburb shaped by its African diaspora yet influenced by France’s assimilationist mindset, Azarzar experienced firsthand the tensions between multiple cultural spheres. Neither fully accepted in France nor entirely connected to Morocco, he turned to what he calls “aesthetic phenomena” in the streets—everyday forms that resist categorization—and reconfigured them in his work. This process highlights the importance of transformation, interconnection, and the creative potential of liminal spaces. As his practice evolved, he incorporated collaborative storytelling and soundscapes, expanding his exploration of displacement and belonging to broader diasporic contexts.
He has taken part in many exhibitions including the Documenta 15 in Kassel (Germany), Fotokino (Marseille), the ZKM Institute (Stuttgart); and participated in the Delfina Foundation residency in 2023 (London).