Zineb Bouchra

Zineb Bouchra is the Moroccan Artist Recreating Orientalist Artworks

Reclaiming the ‘woman of Tangier’

Zineb Bouchra

Save for orientalist artists, Amazigh culture has been limited in its visual preservation, but one artist is shifting the narrative: Zineb Bouchra. The Moroccan fine artist has been reclaiming the narrative by recreating masterpieces from around the world with an Amazigh twist. 

Ever wondered what the Mona Lisa would have looked like if she were Moroccan? Bouchra made it happen. But it’s her focus on orientalist portraiture that stands out the most. With lockdown underway—and still in place in Morocco, where cases are still climbing—Bouchra entitled this series of recreations ‘Covid Classics’. 

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From Belgian artist Jean Francois Portaels’ ‘Woman of Tangier’, to French painter Charles Landelle’s ‘Woman with Oranges’, Bouchra has covered the entire spectrum of orientalist paintings, all from the comfort of her home in Agadir. 

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Since the beginning of the series, Bouchra has amassed a steadilye growing following that includes the likes of renowned Moroccan artist Hassan Hajjaj. And by the looks of it, she’s not slowing down anytime soon.

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