It was November 2, 1988 in Nijmegen, Netherlands, a Romanesque city on the German border, when I was born. A short few years later, we packed up and moved from the Netherlands to Oued Zem, Morocco, a former French settlement 150 km inland from the seaside city of Casablanca. My little world was turned upside-down for the first time.

 

Like many others with me, I am a product of ‘crossing the strait’ between Europe and Africa, in more than just geographical terms, with all its uncertainties, shortcomings, disadvantages, and fears. As a child, and still now as an adult, I’ve crossed that strait more times than I can count and I’ve learned one thing for certain: In Morocco, they see me as Dutch Moroccan, not a true native born, while in the Netherlands, the place of my birth, I was and always will be, a Moroccan. 

 

Now, settled in the city of Amsterdam, I am one thing above all else: myself. I am Amine Habti and my art is who I am: pushing back the frontiers, enterprising, creating nostalgia on canvas. I am a character, with finesse and willpower in a contemporary jacket.

and a grateful salute to that which has crossed my path…