RACHID KHIMOUNE

Born in 1953, Decazeville, France. Lives and works in Paris, France.

 Originally created for the town of Blanc-Mesnil and first installed in Paris in 2001, The Children of the World remains one of Rachid Khimoune's chief installation projects. On display is a selection of seven miniature works inspired by the original installation. Faithful to his roots, Rachid gets his inspiration from African masks and diverts them to create what he describes as “Bestiary” and “Mascarades”. In the process, the artist applies banal elements from everyday life such as sewer covers, tar, grills, cobblestones, old socket outlets and manhole covers as a way of reflecting on the diverse cultures and as a means to revisit the poetry presented within the otherwise insignificant. The result is a world of imagination, overflowing with real and invented animals and human-like creatures, to which we are invited to participate in and be part of.

“Memory has seized for itself all sorts of visual potential, itself boundless in oral possibilities and this vital eclecticism translates, without any sort of deceitful action, into the universality of a language born of a very personal shorthand of instinct.”

Pierre Restany, art critic

•        2009 19.03.09-Rachid Khimoune,”Children of The World  “, Art Sawa, Dubai.

•        2008 17.12.08 - Creative Expressions, Art Sawa, Dubai.

•        2008 Art Paris Abu Dhabi art fair, Abu Dhabi.

•        2008 22.10.08 – Opening, Art Sawa, Dubai.

•        2008 “European Biennial of Contemporary Art”, Eragny sur Oise, France.

•        2007 “Salon du Collectionneur”, Grand Palais, Paris, France.

•        2005 “Art-Paris Salon”, Del Leon Gallery, Paris, France.

•        2003 “Rachid Khimoune”, Grimaldi Forum, Monte Carlo, Monaco.

•        1999 “Festival du Film Fantastique à Gérardmer”, Musée Bourdelle, Paris, France.

•        1997 “Biennale de la Sculpture”, Monte Carlo, Monaco.

SELECTED COMMISSIONS

•        2007 “Naomi, the African”, installation project, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

•        2006 “The Family”, installation of a group of seven granite and bronze sculptures, Ordino, Principality of Andorra.

•        2004 “Jean-Baptiste from Monaco”, sculpture, Monte Carlo, Monaco.

•        2003 “Philip, the Mexican”, installation project, History Museum of Cuernavaca, Mexico.

•        2002 “Enzo, the Italian”, installation project, Sienna. Italy.

•        2001 “Children of the World”, installation of a group of 21 bronze sculptures, Paris, France.

•        1999 “Don Quichotte and Sancho”, sculpture in bronze, Marseille, Cité de la Visitation, France.

•        1993 “The Crusaders”, installation of a group of 3 bronze sculptures, Chartres, France

•        1989 “The Family”, mural relief, Grenoble, France.

•        1987 “The Warriors”, iron and resin sculpture, Seoul Olympic Park, South Korea.

•        1985  “Children of the World”, installation of a group of 11 iron and resin sculptures, Blanc-Mesnil, France.

•        Xuriguera, Gérard, “Rachid Khimoune”, Editions Grimaldi Forum Monaco (Paris Musées 2003).

•        Jakubowicz, F., Méséguer, S., Jacquet, J., Couvreur, JF., ed. “Rachid Khimoune: Regards les Enfants du Monde”, Editions Paris Musées (Somology 2001).

ARTIST VISUALS