Karim Adduchi is Artist in Residence at WOW and from November shows his Rietveld Academy graduation collection She Knows Why the Caged Bird Sings in a new and exciting form.

Karim Adduchi

Multidisciplinary artist and fashion designer Adduchi was born in Imzouren, Morocco, in 1988 and moved to Barcelona age seven. Despite coming from a sartorial family – both his parents worked in fashion – he only chose to become a designer later in life. Having already gained recognition as an illustrator, he is now proud to return to his roots, or, as he puts it: ‘’I’m no longer afraid of fashion, a fear that came from respect.’’

In Spain he went to school for the first time in his life, disclosing a new world. Though Karim did not speak Spanish, he attempted to solve this by expressing himself through drawings. This was the beginning of a development that continues today.

After seeing the illustrations with which Karim expressed himself, his tutor urged him to attend the Institute of Fine Arts in Barcelona. Here, he would find his own essential language, a medicine of sorts, for a child finding spoken language so daunting.

For ten years he developed his technique using drawings and paintings from the Italian Renaissance. Intrigued by contemporary art and with the Italian school as an example, he continued his studies for two years at the Pompeu Fabra University, where he further perfected his style and way of working.

In 2010 he moved to Amsterdam to study at the fashion department of the Gerrit Rietveld Academy. He remains in search of ways to shape his visual language. With his work he tries to offer us an insight into the future by harking back to the past and presenting the present.

Collection

At the Rietveld Academy he graduated with a thesis about his renewed ties to the homeland and his heritage. He took as his subject the tradition of storytelling that Berber women, like his own grandmother, keep alive, yet focused especially on what is not being said aloud in these stories. ‘’This collection is about translating the symbolism and the perception of these women and wants to give them a voice. There is a strong sense of duality in them; they are fragile and strong at the same time, and they hide their beauty because they deem it so valuable. It takes time and knowledge to unravel that mystery.’’

She Knows Why the Caged Bird Sings is Adduchi’s graduation collection (the title is a reference to Maya Angelou’s famous novel I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings from 1969) and comprises a series of designs predominantly using traditional handicraft. The materials were not necessarily meant to make garments with: one of the dresses, for example, is partly made of reed-like material used to make floormats. The gown design is then complemented by a much finer fabric.

Setting

The Green Gallery at WOW offers an unusual environment for modern art and fashion and thus provides an exciting challenge for the designer of the space and the artist. She Knows Why the Caged Bird Sings makes optimal use of the space with a spectacular design.

Opening

Runs from 5 November through 29 November 2015. Free entry. Open every day from 10 am until 6 pm.