chargement...
During the summer of 2025, on a sunny morning, Oussama Mahrouch carefully packed his bag; he placed his drawing papers, pens, and colors inside, then picked up a small chair and left the house, heading towards the roundabout of the market in Tangier. He was excited and confident in his talent, yet at the same time hesitant and afraid: of the looks of passersby, their possible indifference, and the chance of intervention by security personnel. It was the first time he decided to make the sidewalk a space for his work.
An Experiment That Began with Hesitation
On that day, he was accompanied by a friend, but Oussama preferred to step into the space he had chosen on his own, leaving his friend to wander around the market. He sat in his spot, took out his tools, and began working. At first, passersby watched him with curiosity, as the sight of a young man drawing in that place was unfamiliar. After a few minutes, some stopped to look, and then the first person approached him, asking for a portrait. After that, requests came one after another. Oussama recalls those moments jokingly in his conversation with Yabiladi: «My friend returned from the market and was surprised by the number of people gathered around me. He didn't expect that, and neither did I. I was engrossed in drawing faces, one after the other».
At that moment, Oussama, 20, realized that choosing the street, specifically in Tangier, was not random, but a smart decision. Although he is originally from Meknes, he picked Tangier as the stage for his first experience, even though he does not live there permanently and only visits during holidays.
«I moved to Tangier only two years ago, during the holidays, and I chose it because it's a city frequented by tourists from all nationalities, in addition to domestic tourists. It's a city where I knew I would hear my artistic voice», said the artist, who was unable to enroll in the Institute of Fine Arts and is currently studying marketing and law.
Oussama adds, with a Tangier accent that almost makes him seem like one of its own, that his relationship with drawing began at a very early age. He was six years old when his father taught him the first steps. «My father was skilled at drawing horses only. I started by imitating his drawings, then became increasingly attracted to drawing and learned to draw on my own».
In his first year of middle school, he began taking part in art competitions every year, strengthening his belief that drawing was more than just a hobby.
Reading Faces Before Drawing Them
Before choosing the street, Oussama used to spend time in cafés and restaurants, drawing people without their knowledge, then surprising them with the result. What he enjoyed most was waiting for their reactions. To avoid the person leaving before the portrait was finished, he often made sure to complete it in about thirty minutes, though surprises were not uncommon. «More than once, I looked up to find that the person I was drawing had left».
«At the Meknes train station, I had an experience that still lingers in my memory. I was waiting for the train with a friend when I spotted a child with two women, and she encouraged me to draw him. I hesitated at first, fearing their reaction, but was surprised by their great happiness, as they proudly showed the portrait to passersby. At that moment, I felt immense joy».
For Oussama, drawing is not limited to facial features; it is a complete story. He focuses on details, reading the eyes that give him an impression of the person in front of him: sad, happy, tense, or calm. He added: «I chose public spaces because you see the truth; you feel strangers as if you know them before».
At first, his family was unaware of what he was doing. His sister discovered videos of him on social media and told the family. Despite their initial fears that it might affect his academic path, they now encourage him and support him.
Oussama Mahrouch dreams of becoming a well-known artist and exhibiting his work in galleries, but he also insists that he will not abandon the street, the place where the story began.
