Aicon Gallery New York is proud to present Love Side by Side with the Soul, the first major U.S. solo exhibition of Algerian born artist Rachid Koraïchi.
Koraïchi’s work is influenced by a heritage in Sufism and as a Quraishite, a transcriber of Quaranic text, in the Aurès region in Algeria. Drawing on Arabic semiotics and dwelling on calligraphy as a means of interpretive transcendence, Koraïchi’s work utilizes letters and signage to evoke figurative imagery and enumerate universal messages to a global audience. The reworked Sufi verses evoke arcane talismanic characters and numbers that, in accordance with Sufi philosophy, negotiate an aesthetical quality with revelation, divination and physical manifestation of intangible ideas such as the quest for grace. His ideas are realized through a variety of media including ornately painted ceramics, textiles, bold metal sculptures of literary characters, and silk screens that negotiate imagery with typology. Koraïchi engages local artists and highly skilled artisans to create artworks for site-specific installations that foster dialogues between local and global communities.