In this evocative series Objets trouvés, Rita Alaoui orchestrates a compelling visual excavation of ordinary remnants—fragments of nature rendered with profound reverence. Across a series (2014–2016), she uses white acrylic to depict these found objects on dense, matte black paper, situating the project within the tradition of works on paper and conjuring a stark, meditative contrast.
The interplay between the luminous white forms and the abyss of black evokes a delicate tension: these natural fragments—bones, stones, seeds, and organic detritus—appear both spectral and palpable. Each drawing isolates an object from its environment, magnifying it into a study of texture, line, and formal presence. The lack of surrounding context transforms them into fragments of memory or relics suspended in time. They also open onto a question of scale: at once, these forms can be read as traces of the infinitesimal—microscopic seeds, veins, or mineral particles—or as vast, macrocosmic landscapes. This duality invites the viewer to oscillate between the infinitely small and the immeasurably large.
Alaoui’s approach is reminiscent of archaeological unearthing or botanical specimen study. The black ground becomes a void—a silent stage upon which forgotten or overlooked materials reclaim significance. In selecting and portraying these humble objects, she imparts them with newfound dignity, inviting viewers to rediscover their intrinsic poetry.
Each piece is both intimate and expansive: intimate in its close attention to form and detail; expansive in the way it invites contemplation of life’s delicate traces. The monochrome palette heightens this reflective quality—stripping away distraction to focus purely on the silhouette, the grain, the gesture of each fragment.
Ultimately, Objets trouvés can be read as a poetic archive—an encounter with passage, loss, and persistence. Through her minimalist yet deeply empathetic renderings, Rita Alaoui reminds us that even the most mundane elements of the natural world carry stories of time, transformation, and quiet beauty.
Objet trouvé N 8, 2014. Works on Paper
Objet trouvé N 8, 2014
From The Objets trouvés Series
White acrylic on black paper
Dimensions: 50 H x 70 W cm.
Signed at the back
Unframed
Born in 1972 in Rabat, Morocco. Lives and works in Paris, France.Graduate of Parsons School of Design, New York.
Rita Alaoui seeks to explore and rethink our relationship with the wild world and imagine connections with the extraordinary. Fascinated by the power of nature, by the healing virtues of plants, and concerned about a disappearing world, she focuses her approach on representing a dreamlike, sacred, and healing nature. Initially a painter, Rita Alaoui varied her modes of creation, ranging from painting to drawing, photography, installation, artist book and more recently video and performance.
With a protocol that may recall that of botany or archaeology, she places collection, accumulation, and observation of natural and seemingly ordinary objects at the center of her work. She collects and meticulously organizes them in the temple that is her studio, granting them a form of unsuspected sacredness or spirituality. She imparts an animistic dimension to each small fragment of bone, stone, seed, or plant.
Her work is regularly exhibited in France, Morocco and internationally.
