The artist Faiza Magni born in Oran, Algeria, is a self-taught painter fascinated by tribal art, Persian miniatures and contemporary painting, she draws inspiration from them to create her works. Says try "To translate the beauty and complexity of women through their portraits", symbolizing in his paintings the richness of his clothes and accessories, all of them endowed with an enigmatic look, not exempt from melancholy, and all focused on an abstract expression. Faiza Maghni resides and works in Paris for more than ten years.
I was born in Oran, Algeria, and now I live in Paris. This eclecticism influences my aesthetics, especially the culture and traditions of my people, a rich Mediterranean city that reflects the influences of the many civilizations they have occupied: Spanish, Jewish, Arab, Andalusian, Ottoman and French. All of this has left its mark, be it in architecture, music or lifestyle in general. In my work I try to convey a certain type of romanticism inspired by Arabic and Persian poetry, taking my inspiration from the costumes and hairstyles of the miniatures of the past that I find full of subtlety and moderation. I am also drawn to the symbolic meanings found in tribal jewelry and have reinvented this style in my paintings, such as the high-necked giraffe women of Burma, who are both a symbol of beauty and forced cruelty.
Painting has long been a more or less unconscious and totally obscured desire that has become natural in the future. Fascinated by persian miniatures, arabic calligraphy, also by the tribal art and contemporary painting, which is inspired by his work and creates his own universe. Faiza tries to translate through her portraits, the beauty and complexity of women in her paintings, where they symbolize the wardrobe wealth and enigmatic expression of their look. His focus on abstract expression unites the world of his portraits.
I have been drawing since childhood. My father, an amateur painter, gave me a taste for painting and drawing. I watched him work, I loved the smell of ink and paper, he drank in his calm and focused attitude. Meanwhile, my mother taught me a love of reading. She was a French teacher and had a large personal library, especially of French literature. Being of a very contemplative nature myself, this helped me further develop my taste for the arts. As a teenager, I also became interested in fashion. I drew women in suits as I dreamed, as I dreamed of becoming a Paris fashion designer like Yves Saint Laurent, as he himself is a native of Oran.
In my paintings, the adornment expresses attitudes that are sometimes serious, sometimes austere, sometimes carefree, and with others there is a certain majesty. An exaggeration is often created to express my own intensity. Sometimes the suit can be impressive armor and other times a kind of hiding light and screen that reveals it.
In my closest circle, painting was seen as more of a hobby than a profession. They began to take me seriously much later, when I started exhibiting my work. If I hadn't decided to go live in Paris with my husband and daughters, I don't think I would have become a painter. Too many family conflicts and social pressures in a country that I love, but which is becoming more and more conservative, makes it impossible to cultivate artistically within the limits of the absurd, where there is an obligation imposed on women.
When I saw the first paintings of the young Baya (Mahieddine), the contemporary of Picasso, who painted women so naive, wild and free. I immediately felt a connection to the unique strength and freedom of his work. Now I realize that this was what at the last moment inspired me to paint. Here is a gallery of incredible images.
