Mohamed Abouelouakar was born in 1946 in Marrakech.
Mohamed Abouelouakar turned to painting after an important career in cinema. Between 1966 and 1973, he studied at the Moscow Institute of Cinematography. In 1984, his feature film Hadda received the Grand Prize at the 2nd Moroccan National Film Festival. The artist also developed a practice in photography.
His experience in cinema deeply shaped his pictorial work, characterised by compositions constructed like staged scenes. Nourished by Russian lyricism and certain references to Byzantine miniature painting, his works unfold dense spaces inhabited by a multiplicity of figures, motifs and narratives.
Through a vivid palette and a strong theatricality of the image, Mohamed Abouelouakar created a singular visual universe in which Western references and Moroccan culture intersect and transform one another.
His works are held in several public and private collections, including the Museum of African Contemporary Art Al Maaden (Morocco), the Fondation ONA (Morocco), Attijariwafa bank (Morocco) and the Artoteek (Netherlands).
Mohamed Abouelouakar passed away in September 2022 in Elektrostal, Russia.