Black, white and human: Photographer Touhami Ennadre on his life’s work, quest to give back

Jewish religious ceremonies in synagogues, African American underground communities, 9/11 ground zero despair, close-ups of wrinkled backs, hands, worshippers kneeling in half-light, portraits of children under a Medina fountain, Touhami Ennadre’s seemingly innate ability to capture intimate scenes flourishes in the absence of color.

Nuances of black, white and gray immerse exhibition visitors in the Moroccan photographer’s monochromatic, deeply personable universe, which exceeds borders, cultural differences, and local rites.

Analogue traditional “techniques,” a word he finds deeply impersonal, perfectly encapsulate the spirits of his personal subjects, armed with a light-weight camera and organic paper. Ennadre manipulates his pellicules down to the slightest detail, be it shading, contrast or feel.

“One cannot be an artist unless they’re an artisan,” he says, evoking his belonging to “a society full of artisans who perfect their craft.”

Industrial processes don’t fit with Ennadre’s view of his art and craft, he found organic paper in Japan, which he is now the only Moroccan photographer that kneads his picture to life, a norm he acquired from childhood, watching his mother weave carpets in traditional fashion.

A graduate of the Medina school

To each artist, their medium, to Ennadre, the camera is not it, but rather his eyes and gaze, fashioned by the “popular.”

We met with Ennadre in the Mohammed VI Museum for Contemporary Art in the capital, Rabat, where he is currently exhibiting his “life’s work” in an unusual, dark, ad-hoc serpentine space.

Although his “Morocanness” almost escapes you at first glance, his work maintains a fixed sense of belonging that can be traced back to his formative years and roots.

Born in Casablanca in 1953, Ennadre told Hespress EN that he searches for the medina everywhere he goes, be it in Kyoto, New York or Sao Paulo.

Raised in the midst of the old city’s ruckus, Ennadre accredits those same streets for his distinctive ability to capture humane wonder in the mondaine.

“My past is what led me here,” says Ennadre, having learned and perfected his craft “in the school of the medina, the school of popular city streets,” with no formal training.

Through staggering black-and-white portraits and personable close ups, the Casablanca artist explores humanity through his gaze all while pointing his mechanical lens at his subjects, never breaking eye contact.

“One becomes a photographer when he sees what others don’t. It’s not about tools or formal training,” the photographer tells Hespress EN in an interview, against a backdrop of stark contrast scenes he’s captured throughout his career.

“My streets taught me how to ‘look’,” he says, reminiscent of the daily scenes that sharpened his acute eye for detail.

Travel is also a crucial part of Ennadre’s art, as he continues to search for “the people, their streets, their experiences, forever reminiscent of the Moroccan Medina, for they make the best, most interesting subjects.”

Ennadre’s interest transcends his personnel output and contribution to the international art scene. The artist recently started a workshop series open to the public in the Rabat Museum, to teach young, hopeful photographers and pass down his distinct touch.

“It’s a very personal initiative,” says the photographer, explaining that he feels indebted to his people, and experiences a strong sense of community, a need to teach and give back, for them, and for the advancement of creativity in Morocco.