Keswa El-Kbira
The Bride’s Metamorphosis

DRAWINGS ON PAPER, 2024

In this series, I draw inspiration from the wedding dresses
of Moroccan Jewish women to create a kind of animated fairy tale on paper.

Made of velvet and gold thread, this iconic, heavy, and precious outfit first appeared to me behind the windows of a museum.
It then turned out to be the last traditional costume, miraculously passed down to my cousin on my father's side of the family.

Fascinated by its geometric abstraction and rich ornamentation, I saw in it a magical world capable of transforming the woman who wore it.
I imagined the journey of a heroine—a kind of Moroccan Alice in Wonderland—who gets lost, has fun, and reveals herself inside the dress.
Through ink and oil pastels, I seek a space where lines, lights, and colors unite in a single movement.

Between matriarchy and emancipation, the ornaments become a springboard to a psychedelic world,
where tradition and freedom unite in a harmonious dance.

Keswa El-Kbira, The Bride’s Metamorphosis, 2024
Selection of drawings
Ink and oil pastels on paper
29,7 x 42 cm