Rachid KoraÏchi
On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of Algerian independence, Rachid Koraïchi, consummate artist, donated one of his works to the department of Seine-Saint-Denis in memory of the victims who fought for the independence of Algeria. Entitled Le Vigilant, this monumental and unprecedented sculpture, which is installed in the Georges-Valbon departmental park in La Courneuve, was inaugurated on Tuesday, November 1st, a national holiday in Algeria.
The following were present for the occasion: the artist Rachid Koraïchi, Stéphane Troussel, president of the Department of Seine-Saint-Denis, Dominique Dellac, vice president in charge of cultural heritage, memory, tourism and artistic and cultural education, Saïd Moussi, Ambassador of Algeria, Abdelmalek Maoudj, consul of Algeria, as well as the families of victims of the Algerian war. This included the family of Fatima Bedar, victim of the repression of October 17, 1961.
"Vigilant to keep the memory of these women and men alive"
“Le Vigilant is the name of the work that we unveiled to conclude a year of meetings that we wanted to dedicate, with Dominique Dellac, vice president in charge of Cultural Heritage, Memory, Tourism and Art and Cultural Education, to the 60th anniversary of Algeria’s independence. Vigilant to keep the memory of these women and men, often modest, who fought for the freedom and independence of their people. Vigilant not to forget the commitment of these women and men, French as well as Algerians, for their part in decolonization. We are also vigilant to ensure that memories are not in competition or rivalry, but that they coexist,” said Stéphane Troussel.
A meticulous creation
To create Le Vigilant, Rachid Koraïchi called upon Factum Arte, a renowned production workshop based in Madrid, and the Kaparos Art Foundry located in Athens. The realization of the sculpture went through several stages each requiring patience and great attention: development of a digital file from a drawing made by hand by the artist, creation of elastomer molds, casting of the bronze "with lost wax", polishing, assembly of the parts and finally complete patination of the sculpture.