Hamza Kadiri's Eros Brut table.
Photo: Courtesy of Alessio Mei and Les Ateliers Courbet.
This Fast-Rising Moroccan Sculptor Is Making Waves with His Functional Works of Art
Hailing from a long line of wood experts, the Casablanca-based artist Hamza Kadiri is the subject of a solo show at Les Ateliers Courbet in New York
Hamza Kadiri. Photo: Courtesy of Alessio Mei and Les Ateliers Courbet.
A single tree trunk can become a remarkable work of art in the skilled hands of Moroccan sculptor Hamza Kadiri, who has been quietly building an impressive cache of awe-inspiring furnishings from his workshop in Casablanca. Born to a family of artisanal woodworkers, the fast-rising artist has just made his Stateside debut with a solo show at Les Ateliers Courbet in New York. “I had a visceral response to Hamza’s work from the moment I saw it in person,” says gallerist Mélanie Courbet, who brought his Eros Brut table to Design Miami/. “The Eros Brut exemplifies the artist’s level of expertise, his elegant craftsmanship, and attention to details.”
The new exhibition, which is on view at the Chelsea gallery through March 17, 2023, includes six new pieces: side tables, credenzas, a bench, and an armoire—each of which perfectly illustrate the artist’s masterful technique. “Each creative is the result of a journey off the beaten path,” says Kadiri. “The story begins by listening of the wood and then carefully observing its lines and texture which, like the veins of marble, give the material its beauty and identity. Then I have to take the material where I want it to go, even if it seems unrealistic at first.”
See more of the pieces below and check out the exhibition at Les Ateliers Courbet.
Kadiri’s B02 Bench possesses sculptural curves and was created from ash wood, hand carved, and then tinted black before being finished in beeswax. Photo: Les Ateliers Courbet
The Royal Ebony credenza was created out of solid wood and hand veneered with thin tree sheets of Royal Laos Ebony, and then protected with a thick lacquer finish. Photo: Les Ateliers Courbet
Hamza Kadir’s B/2121 credenza. Photo: Les Ateliers Courbet
The Balthazar armoire is hand carved ash wood and charred using the traditional Japanese Shou-Sugi-Ban technique. Photo: Les Ateliers Courbet
Kadiri’s side tables are carved from solid ash, tinted black and completed with a suede finish. Photo: Les Ateliers Courbet
A version of this article first appeared in print in our 2022 Winter Issue under the headline “Shape-Shifter.” Subscribe to the magazine.
Cover: Hamza Kadiri's Eros Brut table.
Photo: Courtesy of Alessio Mei and Les Ateliers Courbet.
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