FURMAH: a new painting series

AL HAMRA contemporary art projects present a new oil painting series, on large size canvases of 162 x 130 cm, based on the elementary polygonal pieces (squares, stars, rhombuses, …) which composed the geometric design of zellige tile patterns in the Andalusian or Moroccan Muslim decorations from heritage buildings and monumental sites. These small pieces, called ‘furmah‘, are manufactured by four different specialist artisans in a complex process that begins by the production of the raw material:  The ceramic. The first step to obtain ceramic is to mix clay and water and letting it soak for a day. After this it gets kneaded by hands and feet to a high flexibility and homogeneity. Finally it is cut into 10 cm squares, 10-15 mm thick. The clay squares are sun dried before being first baked in a traditional oven. Later they get one side stained and returned to the oven for a final baking.

The Racham artisan traces the shape of each tile on the ceramic square by using a brush or pen. After this the Kassar artisan cuts the tiles with a very sharp chisel. Once they have the shaped tile, begins the finest and most delicate phase, which is handled by the Khallas artisan. He cuts the bottom edges without touching the glazed surface, finishing this way the tile. The union of the tiles is made by their wedge shape, where the vitrified face appears the tightest possible, while the natural face keeps little spaces between each tile, allowing the cement to penetrate through. The Farrach artisan draws the mosaic picture and places each tile face down according to the predefined design. Now he covers this side with a cement, water and sand mixture. A few days later the mosaic can be moved and the artisan proceeds to its final grouting and cleaning.

These artisans, mainly in Morocco, excel in assembling individual hand cut tiles or furmah in very intricate geometric patterns, to achieve their amazing mosaic works that can be used on any surface, from floors to walls, to furniture and pools... To this day, they still pass on this great knowledge, with origins in the ancient Mediterranean and Middle East, to the next generation.

Now, from AL HAMRA contemporary art projects, we want to show a large selection of our newest collection FURMAH, a geometric abstract paintings inspired on these interlocking sheets of Moroccan-Andalusian tiles:

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(To see more paintings of this series, click on Furmah art collection link)