The large-scale murals of Mohamed L’Ghacham amplify personal moments in a very public way, by taking seemingly ordinary activities and family photos and turning them into visual, relatable stories.
Born in Morocco, North Africa, in 1993, the young, Barcelona-based artist transforms innocuous photographs of people completing mundane tasks into carefully-constructed murals that require the viewer to step back in order to take in the full scope of the painting.
By using understated color palettes and sweeping brush strokes, L’Ghacham’s works blend effortlessly into urban landscapes, almost going unnoticed until seen from afar.
The Moroccan artist became interested in graffiti from an early age. He gained interest in the Classical painters, finding his niche in a combined style of impressionism and realism. Departing from the Classical approach to living models, Mohamed L’Ghacham uses 20th-century photographs that are so commonplace that they might be perceived as “accidental” photos to the casual observer.
By turning these photos into stories through his larger-than-life murals, he connects his audience to his art in a way that the original photographs never could. L’Ghacham says that he considers his art a “reflection of his daily life and social life.” His compelling images of ordinary people enjoying meals, playing games and performing other everyday tasks elicit an emotional response in viewers by connecting them to their own memories of similar events with their own families.
Quickly becoming a world-renowned muralist, Mohamed L’Ghacham travels all over the world to leave his mark on urban landscapes and is highly coveted by art festivals and exhibits.