M'Barek Bouhchichi

Geometrical and rectangular shapes are recurrent in M’barek Bouhchichi’s work. The artist often cites philosopher Roland Barthes who considered the rectangle as the most perfect representation for togetherness and community. M’barek Bouchichi’s 1/5 refers to the unequal sharecropping system in Southern Morocco which sees the black community working the land year-round, but earning only a fifth of the harvest for sustenance. The artist questions this practice through rectangular sculptures made of corten and copper in which 1/5 of the sculpture is cut slit. The smaller cut section of the rectangle is embellished and enhanced with a striking gold-plated tint of copper which significantly outshines the remaining 4/5 of the work. It is placed in this manner to highlight the discrepancy and imbalance system of the sharecropping system, one that is not neither stable nor sustainable.