KHAOULA B KARAWEIGH

Lives and works in London, United Kingdom

Born in 1995, Rabat, Morocco

I primarily work in painting, creating imagined scenarios inspired by my own life and the lives of those around me. Drawing heavily from my upbringing in Morocco, my work reflects on cultural and political practices through narratives that blend personal experience with collective memory. Often inspired by folklore, superstitious beliefs, and oral traditions, I create imagery that is both humorous and unsettling, weaving together complex stories that I adapt and intertwine with my own perspective, both as someone who once belonged to these worlds and as someone who now observes them from a distance.

I am particularly interested in exploring themes of grief, motherhood, trauma, abuse, and superstition. Recurring motifs such as sheep, worms, and mice appear throughout my work, serving as symbolic carriers of these ideas. At times, I extend these narratives into the physical presentation of my paintings, incorporating design elements and materials into the frames that are inspired by the same themes and imagery found within the works themselves.

While I pay meticulous attention to composition and narrative, developing my paintings through multiple sketches and careful planning, I intentionally leave room for uncertainty during the painting process. It is within this space of spontaneity that I find painting most meaningful. The act of painting becomes a form of reflection, allowing me to process difficult emotions and experiences connected to the subjects I depict.

My practice is driven by a willingness to confront discomfort. I deliberately engage with themes and imagery that evoke difficult feelings, using painting as a way of navigating and understanding them. In many ways, painting is not an enjoyable process for me; rather, it is one of the few spaces in which I can face my most challenging memories and emotions. Despite having a deep fear of worms and an aversion to body horror, these elements frequently appear in my work, becoming recurring subjects through which I explore vulnerability, anxiety, and transformation.

An artist's workspace with a wooden palette covered with a mixture of vibrant paint colors, an open container of black paint, various paint tubes, a crumpled tissue, and a sponge with yellow-orange paint. There are also brushes in a metallic holder, a glass of water, and open containers of other paint colors on a wooden table.