Ut Queant Laxis Artwork

I was born in Algeria to French parents. Touggourt is my hometown, located in the Sahara desert. When I was five years old, my family moved to Morocco, where we stayed eight years before leaving for southern France. From my childhood in north Africa, I developed a taste for strong colors and exotic atmosphere, which was channeled by the many trips that I took around the world in adulthood. I also enjoyed activities that kept me in contact with the elements, such as surfing, sailing, diving and flying paragliders. They still have a big influence on what I produce now. I used most of the time that I wasn’t traveling to painting and taking photographs. I tried a lot of different styles from very realistic and academic to totally expressionistic or abstract. I have been focusing on the latter two for the past few years. I now live in a small village in the south of France. My house is on a cliff and a gently flowing river (sits below). Nature is omnipresent, the place is idyllic, and my neighbors (consist of) thousands of birds that sing madly during the Spring. These surroundings stimulate inspiration and boost creativity, so I try to be as open and receptive as possible. Quite frankly, I am rather skeptical about art that needs laborious explanations to be understood or appreciated. I believe art is something that grabs your emotions and captivates your soul without effort when you are a lover of it. In the same way, you need your heart and soul to produce art. This holds true for painting, sculpture, music, dancing, poetry, etc. When I produce expressionist or abstract art, I try to invest a lot of emotion, passion and if possible, a little bit of madness. I am satisfied when I feel that I have captured my mood in the moment.