Objet trouvé N 16, 2014
Rita Alaoui

This artwork presents a mesmerizing interplay of flowing white lines against a stark black background. The composition resembles a surreal, organic form, evoking the fluidity and complexity of natural structures. The intricate weave of lines creates a sense of movement, as if capturing a moment of dynamic transformation. The curvature and overlapping strands suggest elements of both strength and delicacy, drawing the viewer into its depths. The white lines contrast sharply with the dark backdrop, enhancing the artwork's dramatic and ethereal quality. This piece challenges conventional perceptions, inviting contemplation and curiosity, while its abstract nature allows for diverse interpretations. Its unique blend of chaos and order embodies a harmonious tension, making it a standout piece in contemporary art.

In this evocative series Objets trouvés, Rita Alaoui orchestrates a compelling visual excavation of ordinary remnants—fragments of nature rendered with profound reverence. Across a series (2014–2016), she uses white acrylic to depict these found objects on dense, matte black paper, situating the project within the tradition of works on paper and conjuring a stark, meditative contrast.
The interplay between the luminous white forms and the abyss of black evokes a delicate tension: these natural fragments—bones, stones, seeds, and organic detritus—appear both spectral and palpable. Each drawing isolates an object from its environment, magnifying it into a study of texture, line, and formal presence. The lack of surrounding context transforms them into fragments of memory or relics suspended in time. They also open onto a question of scale: at once, these forms can be read as traces of the infinitesimal—microscopic seeds, veins, or mineral particles—or as vast, macrocosmic landscapes. This duality invites the viewer to oscillate between the infinitely small and the immeasurably large.
Alaoui's approach is reminiscent of archaeological unearthing or botanical specimen study. The black ground becomes a void—a silent stage upon which forgotten or overlooked materials reclaim significance. In selecting and portraying these humble objects, she imparts them with newfound dignity, inviting viewers to rediscover their intrinsic poetry.
Each piece is both intimate and expansive: intimate in its close attention to form and detail; expansive in the way it invites contemplation of life's delicate traces. The monochrome palette heightens this reflective quality—stripping away distraction to focus purely on the silhouette, the grain, the gesture of each fragment.
Ultimately, Objets trouvés can be read as a poetic archive—an encounter with passage, loss, and persistence. Through her minimalist yet deeply empathetic renderings, Rita Alaoui reminds us that even the most mundane elements of the natural world carry stories of time, transformation, and quiet beauty.

Rita Alaoui has always felt a deep connection with the living. Beginning as a painter—her  primary medium—She  later expanded into installation and performance, exploring the relationships humans establish with non-human entities and what they can teach us.
For over ten years, She has built a collection of organic objects—memories of living forms threatened by ecosystem degradation. Like an archaeologist, She  collects, classifies, draws, and integrates them into her  paintings and installations. This evolving collection continues to inspire her work and research.
Growing up in Morocco, the ocean was her first source of inspiration. Since 2019, living in Paris, she has gathered objects from forests and countryside, and her paintings—at the heart of her  artistic production—depict terrestrial and aquatic landscapes: lush, mysterious, human-absent, yet marked by traces of presence. Plants remain central to Alaoui practice, studied aesthetically, scientifically, and materially, fueling an imaginative universe within her work.
Alaoui  practice blends references from botany, herbalism, animism, ritual, and ancestral knowledge, weaving a unified territory that transcends borders between Morocco and other lands. Through this, she aims to convey the interconnectedness of life and cultures, promoting ecological awareness, sustainability, and care for our planet.
As an artist,  Alaoui seek to rethink our relationship with the world, reinterpret the familiar, and imagine connections with the extraordinary.

From The Objets trouvés Series. White acrylic on black paper. Signed at the back.