Chourouk Hriech – Cities of stars, 2023

Chourouk Hriech’s compositions combine architectural and landscape elements with plant and animal motifs in graphic narratives inspired by the history of places old and new, real and imaginary. Working in black and white, Chourouk Hriech draws what she calls her “landscape stuff”, whether it relates to urban areas or vegetation. With precise lines in Indian ink or gouache, she traces the history of “symbolic cities”, using multiple crosssections, effects of scale and perspective. Whether on paper, on walls or on objects, her works create a hybrid universe where forms, cultures and eras merge, blend or coexist.

The lit street lamps of Cities of stars combine drawings of Bangkok, Casablanca, Rio de Janeiro and Riyadh, all cities the artist has visited in the course of her travels. Urban and rural vistas juxtapose the artist’s personal memories with features that reflect the identity, the history and the heritage of those four cities. Each city is associated with a bird — a crane, a stork, a parrot and a falcon — each one a symbol of flight and freedom that becomes a messenger for the viewer, who is invited to wander around in Chourouk Hriech’s luminous cocoons.