Bio

Amine Asselman (1989, Tetouan, Morocco). Artist and PhD in Contemporary Art.

From a very young age I was interested in physics and mathematics, that is why in 2007 I enrolled at the Rabat School of Architecture. After two years of studying, I discovered that my true passion is art and design, which led me to leave the academy and move to Tetouan to study Design at the National Institute of Fine Arts.

After graduating in 2013, I continued my studies by pursuing a Master’s Degree in Contemporary Art at the Faculty of Fine Arts of Pontevedra at the University of Vigo. It is there where I discovered the work of authors such as M.C Escher, Antoni Gaudí or Sol Lewitt, who strongly influenced my artistic vision, finding that point in common between my two passions: science and art.

It’s the geometry, that art so present in my native culture, which pushed me to continue, from 2015 to 2019 at the same University, developing my research work on Zellige and Contemporary Creation between Spain and Morocco.

During these years of training I developed my artistic career by participating in national and international exhibitions, winning different awards and grants.

I currently live in Tetouan, where I set up my Ceramic Art and Zellige production workshop.

Statement

My interest in the Zellige and geometry is reflected in most of my works where design, art, and crafts intermingle to express concerns closely linked to the complexity of the islamic identity and Mediterranean culture.

During my PhD research on Zellige and contemporary creation I have developed a method to generate an infinite number of geometric figures based on the same frequency. I apply all this geometric game to Zellige to transform spaces and architectural elements. I also developed a geometrical language called MUSAIC to translate the musical notes, scales and scores into Zellige compositions.

I work with the Tetouan Zellige technique, which is a unique artisan technique in Morocco and which is classified by UNESCO as a technique threatened by its disappearance. One of the objectives of my work is to preserve and evolve this technique, thus avoiding its disappearance. I have also managed to rescue old enamel formulas based on minerals and oxides to generate a palette of unique colors and textures with great depth and shine.