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I had to burn these landscapes to reconcile – MAryam Touzani
The Dutch landscape manmade, structured, and controlled stands in stark contrast to the Moroccan landscape, which feels raw, organic, and untamed.
Artist : MAryam Touzani
Series : I had to burn these landscapes to reconcile
As part of this project, I investigated the relationship between Moroccan and Dutch landscapes. I created collages based on research into the cliché imagery of both countries, using archival photographs I took over the past five years while working across these two lands. For me, the landscape plays an essential role in exploring belonging and identity.
The Dutch landscape manmade, structured, and controlled stands in stark contrast to the Moroccan landscape, which feels raw, organic, and untamed. Growing up in the Netherlands, I was deeply influenced by its constructed nature, while simultaneously longing for the landscapes that shaped my ancestral memory. I began to think of these spaces as diasporic landscapes, places that hold both presence and absence.
In the process of creating these collages, I burned and reassembled the images. Through this act, I symbolically lost control, only to regain it by piecing them back together. This gesture reflects my ongoing search for agency within fragmented histories.
This work falls within a broader canon that resists the colonial gaze, the way migrants are often seen through the lens of the dominant culture. In Maktub, I examine my experiences on my own terms, resisting simplification and portraying the complexities of migration, displacement, and belonging.
© MAryam Touzani – All rights reserved
