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Max Boufathal, French/Moroccan

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Max Boufathal (1983/French/Moroccan) is one of the artists in ‘Carrefour/Treffpunkt’, ifa Stuttgart, Germany. Until July 5, 2015.

About:

Max Boufathal(b.1983) is a sculptor whose hybrid and high-tech tribe of warriors, animals, and weapons seemingly obey a new order of natural selection. These figures are rendered in high visibility and reflective materials: masks are folded and cut from linoleum, a dog-like creature named The Massacror is built from plastic sheeting and polymer. This formidable cast combines ancient tribalism with consumerism. Do these beings come from a past world or a parallel one? Are they survivors or oppressors? For the Biennale Boufathal will show a combination of these previous works, with a new large-scale commission, Madonna 207.(text Biennial Marrakesh)

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Madonna 207, 2014.

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“Working from less-than-skeletal frames made from lightweight wood and steel, Max Boufathal creates the basic structures from which his eerily naturalistic sculptures will later emerge. The bulk of his process consists of tying sections of plastic bags and rescue blankets to parts of the frame and meticulously tucking, pulling, and intertwining them until the entire frame has been filled out. The results are simultaneously disturbing and awe-inspiring, and they bear an uncanny resemblance to men and beasts skinned alive to reveal the powerful and flawless musculature that lies beneath.” (from Chaos Magazine, March 2013)

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Empty Kingdom, You are here, We are everywhere.

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Boufathal graduated from the École supérieure des beaux-arts de Nantes with honors (2002). As part of the Africa Light collective, he has exhibited internationally at the Biennial of Contemporary Art, Dakar (2010) and the Biennial of Dance, Bamako (2010). Solo exhibitions of his work include Fernelmont Castle (2011); Galerie Saint-Jacques, Saint-Quentin (2011); and High Culture Gallery, Maastricht (2011).