Tibari Kantour was born in Casablanca in 1954.
After attending the Casablanca School of Fine Arts, he moved to Belgium, where he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Liège and the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels.
The mystery of Tibari Kantour’s painting lies in a single word: paper. As the artist explains: “Paper is usually considered a support for painting. When I make it myself, it can be regarded not only as a support, but as the artwork itself. Within the paper, all techniques are integrated, as in bas-relief.”
Tibari Kantour makes his own paper from tree leaves and grasses gathered in the countryside where he lives. Once he obtains a thick, pliable pulp, he pours it into a large tub fitted with a mesh screen. The water drains through the mesh, leaving the pulp behind, which he then flattens. As it dries, the pulp becomes thick paper. The artist incorporates its relief, roughness and surface irregularities into his paintings. He is equally at ease working on canvas, which he approaches with restraint, seeking chance effects and welcoming the textures that emerge.
Tibari Kantour has exhibited on numerous occasions in Morocco and abroad. He lives and works in Sidi Maâchou, where he plans to establish an international artists’ residency.