tour 9 of 9
An Africa garden
Rachid Koraïchi, Seven Doors of Heaven, metal
Rachid Koraïchi was born in 1947 in Algeria. He
is from a Sufi family, Sufism being the mystical aspect of Islam.
He studied at the Algerian École des Beaux-Arts before moving to
Paris in 1971, where he continued his studies at a variety of
institutions including the Parisian École des Beaux-Arts.
Koraïchi's work is rooted in calligraphy but he is a master
of various media, including ceramics, textiles and metalwork. He
has twice exhibited at the Venice
Biennale.
Koraïchi's
Seven Doors of Heaven
was on display in the Ground Force Africa Garden. The work, made of
metal and drawing on calligraphy, is a reference to the seven doors
of heaven and hell mentioned in the Qur'an. The number
seven is also associated with the Sufi concept of the
'journey', which is reflected in the design of the
Africa Garden.
Another work
by Koraïchi, The Path of
Roses, can be seen in the Sainsbury African
Galleries (Room 25). This installation consists of several
different elements, including embroidered silk cloths, ceramic
ablution bowls and steel sculptures (pictured). It pays homage to
the thirteenth-century Sufi mystic and poet Jalal al-Din al-Rumi
who travelled through North Africa before founding the Dervish
order in Turkey. Like much of Koraïchi's work, it explores
Africa's complex contribution to Islamic culture and
philosophy.