Composition

From the early 1960s, waves became a key motif in the works of Mohamed Melehi, a leading figure in postcolonial modernism in Morocco and beyond. This artwork is a diptych made of two identical canvases. It shows flowing waves in shades of turquoise, bold pink, and orange moving across a background of bright yellow and cobalt blue. Melehi created this work after returning to Morocco, while teaching at the Casablanca Art School. He encouraged his students to look to their local environment and heritage for inspiration, reflecting the principles that shaped his own abstract work. The horizontal wave suggests movement, continuity, and calmness, alluding to the artist’s coastal hometown of Asilah. Through these vibrant and meditative works, Melehi expressed a lasting commitment to artistic practices informed by local heritage and decolonial visual expression.