Growing up with a mixed cultural and religious background has sometimes been difficult, but it has also definitely enriched me as a person and (perhaps) as an artist. Sometimes, I feel like I do not really ‘belong’ to either one of the cultures. When being in Morocco with my father’s family, I feel at home but at the same time, a stranger. In the Netherlands, this feeling is not as strong – I think that’s because I grew up here.
This personal clash and feeling of being in between two cultures have always fascinated me. But I kept it for myself, it wasn’t something I would talk too much about. It was too personal and maybe, I did not want it to have a big impact on me. But in the end, it has, it is part of me and therefore, also part of my work. I see it as an extra layer that I sometimes use and sometimes not.