Amine El Gotaibi

Amine El Gotaibi (born 1983) is a Moroccan conceptual artist based in Marrakesh. Working across sculpture and large-scale installation, his practice combines natural and traditional materials such as wool and rammed earth with industrial materials including copper and Corten steel. His work frequently addresses territory, identity and representations of the African continent.

El Gotaibi has exhibited internationally, including at the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris, the Young Congo Biennale, the NIROX Foundation in South Africa and Somerset House in London. In 2023, he created Illuminate the Light, a large-scale installation commissioned for the courtyard of Somerset House during the 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair.

Early life and education El Gotaibi was born in Fez, Morocco, in 1983. He studied at the National Institute of Fine Arts in Tétouan, graduating in 2008.

Career and work El Gotaibi works across sculpture, installation and collaborative projects. His works frequently combine materials such as wool, earth and metal. Morocco, North Africa and the wider African continent are recurring geographical and conceptual references in his work.

In 2011, El Gotaibi initiated VISIT to Okavango, a long-term research project conceived around a journey from Morocco towards Botswana and South Africa.

El Gotaibi was the subject of a profile in the Financial Times on the occasion of the commission.

Later work In 2024, El Gotaibi participated in the inaugural Design Doha biennale in Doha, Qatar. His site-specific installation Desert of the North was installed in the central atrium of The Ned Doha. The installation combined wool and copper, using the contrasting materials to explore their interaction with the architecture, light and environmental conditions of the site.

El Gotaibi has also participated in Design Doha's Qatar–Morocco residency programme, which brought together Moroccan and Qatari artists, designers and craftspeople.