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TABAL Mohamed
- Morocco - Born : 1958 in El Hanchane
Painter and sculptor, Mohamed Tabal draws deeply from the spiritual, musical, and ritual world of the Gnaoua culture. His work follows the rhythms, gestures, and ceremonies of this ancestral tradition, becoming at times narrative as it depicts festive scenes, “lila” ritual nights, and moments of everyday life with all their richness, poetry, and diversity. Under his hands, colors erupt, and African-inspired motifs—rooted in him since childhood—come to life.
Often described as “naïve,” Tabal’s works stand out for their singularity and creative energy. Painted on wood, leather, or canvas, they burst with detail: crowds of multicolored characters, zoomorphic creatures, symbolic elements, interwoven scenes. Tabal has developed numerous series dedicated to the Gnaoua world, combining collage, polychromy, and vibrant compositions.
In his pictorial universe, the gaze holds a central place. Eyes, often emphasized with dark tones, convey mystery — the trance, the hypnosis, the inner journey evoked by Gnaoua music. His art can appear raw, intense, even unsettling, but it is always deeply inhabited, sometimes punctuated with touches of humor that soften its emotional gravity. Each work is built around a central theme from which new motifs and narratives emerge, multiplying the levels of interpretation.
Just as he painted his father and fragments of his own life, Tabal portrays his family, his brotherhood, and scenes of daily rituals: guembri players, drummers, krakeb musicians, dancers, tea ceremonies, and moments of communal life.
Initiated in his youth into the world of urban Gnaoua, he did not become a guembri player like others, but mastered another instrument: the t’bal, the traditional drum from which his symbolic name derives — Tabal meaning “drummer.”
It was Frédéric Damgaard who first recognized and revealed his talent, encouraging him to put aside the drum and devote himself fully to painting. Today, Mohamed Tabal exhibits regularly, and his works are featured in numerous private collections as well as in national and international museums.
TABAL Mohamed
- Morocco - Born : 1958 in El Hanchane
Painter and sculptor, Mohamed Tabal draws deeply from the spiritual, musical, and ritual world of the Gnaoua culture. His work follows the rhythms, gestures, and ceremonies of this ancestral tradition, becoming at times narrative as it depicts festive scenes, “lila” ritual nights, and moments of everyday life with all their richness, poetry, and diversity. Under his hands, colors erupt, and African-inspired motifs—rooted in him since childhood—come to life.
Often described as “naïve,” Tabal’s works stand out for their singularity and creative energy. Painted on wood, leather, or canvas, they burst with detail: crowds of multicolored characters, zoomorphic creatures, symbolic elements, interwoven scenes. Tabal has developed numerous series dedicated to the Gnaoua world, combining collage, polychromy, and vibrant compositions.
In his pictorial universe, the gaze holds a central place. Eyes, often emphasized with dark tones, convey mystery — the trance, the hypnosis, the inner journey evoked by Gnaoua music. His art can appear raw, intense, even unsettling, but it is always deeply inhabited, sometimes punctuated with touches of humor that soften its emotional gravity. Each work is built around a central theme from which new motifs and narratives emerge, multiplying the levels of interpretation.
Just as he painted his father and fragments of his own life, Tabal portrays his family, his brotherhood, and scenes of daily rituals: guembri players, drummers, krakeb musicians, dancers, tea ceremonies, and moments of communal life.
Initiated in his youth into the world of urban Gnaoua, he did not become a guembri player like others, but mastered another instrument: the t’bal, the traditional drum from which his symbolic name derives — Tabal meaning “drummer.”
It was Frédéric Damgaard who first recognized and revealed his talent, encouraging him to put aside the drum and devote himself fully to painting. Today, Mohamed Tabal exhibits regularly, and his works are featured in numerous private collections as well as in national and international museums.
