Born in 1966 in Erfoud, Morocco, Majida Khattari is a Franco-Moroccan artist living and working in Paris. A graduate of the École des Beaux-Arts in Casablanca and Paris, she focuses on the female body in her multidisciplinary work, spanning photography, performance, and painting. Khattari’s art critiques the objectification of women in contemporary societies.

Since 1996, she has created performance-fashion shows inspired by the situation of women in Arab societies, featuring models in Sculpture-Clothes that address themes of women’s status, contemporary politics, secularism, and religion. Her performances often include singing, music, and dance. Additionally, she creates installations and videos.

In her photographic work, Khattari revisits and modernizes orientalist painting clichés, blending fantasy and photographic reality. Her pieces offer a dual perspective, both aesthetically pleasing and symbolically charged, exploring the objectification of the female body.

Her work has been exhibited in various institutions, including the Hôtel de la Monnaie and the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris, and the MMK Museum für Modern Kunst in Frankfurt. Her works are part of prestigious collections such as the SAM Project Foundation, the Centre Pompidou, and the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. Participant of 2024 Dakar Art Biennale, Senegal and Venice Art Biennale, Italy.


Selected works

The 5 key questions

We ask five important questions to all of our partner artists and creatives, helping you to get to know them a little better.

1

Where do you feel home and happy?

I feel at home everywhere in the world when I am with the people I love. Regardless of the place, the presence of my loved ones creates that feeling of home. And I am truly happy in my studio, surrounded by my materials and my creations.

2

When did you know you would become an artist?

Since I was little, I've always had a passion for art, but it was in middle school that I really knew I would pursue this path. My art teacher would tell me in every class that I was talented, which greatly encouraged and inspired me.

3

What inspires you and your work?

What inspires me is humanity in all its complexity and diversity. As an artist, I draw from individuals' stories, social struggles, injustices, and moments of resistance. My work is a response to these realities, a way to reflect and question them through art. Beauty plays a central role in my approach; it allows for creating a more accessible and profound dialogue. Each piece is an attempt to provoke reflection and, hopefully, inspire action through aesthetics and emotion.

4

If you were not an artist, what would you be?

If I weren't an artist, I would be a politician. My speeches would be performances, moments where words blend with images to touch hearts and minds.

5

Who are your favourite painters?

It's hard to choose; there are so many painters in art history that I appreciate. I'll name a few: Nicolas Poussin, Eugene Delacroix, Édouard Manet, Joan Mitchell. And contemporary artists: Liza Bryce, Neo Rauch.

Artist Collections

Adorned bodies

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Houria, 2014-2015