Born in 1951 in Salé, a town neighbouring Rabat, I grew up in an environment steeped in history and artistic tradition. A corsair city with a fascinating past, Salé has always been a vibrant cultural hub, where Sufi and popular music, refined craftsmanship and traditional architecture nourish a rich imagination. Growing up in this atmosphere shaped my artistic sensitivity and awakened my taste for creation. From a very young age, drawing became a necessity for me. In the Morocco of the early years of independence, learning resources were limited, and only passion allowed one to progress. Armed with patience and curiosity, I explored on my own the fundamentals of line, composition and light, developing an intuitive, self-taught approach. Drawing was always a guiding thread, but it was at the end of the 1980s that my practice intensified with painting. Taming colour, mastering the brushstroke, understanding depth and the interplay of light and shadow… each canvas became a challenge and a source of learning. The arrival of the Internet then opened new perspectives, offering direct access to the works and techniques of established artists around the world. For a long time, my painting remained a private pursuit, shared only with those close to me. Despite their encouragement, it took time before I dared to exhibit my work. It was not until 2021 that I took that step, joining a collective of artists who already had solid experience. That first group exhibition was warmly received, including by recognised painters, and became a true turning point in my journey. Since then, exhibitions have followed one another, reinforcing my practice and my commitment to creation. Today, I am enthusiastically preparing my next exhibition, to be held in Paris in November 2025 — a new stage in this artistic adventure.

Hafsa Bekri Lamrani, poet and friend, shares her perspective on my painting in a text. Here is an excerpt.    
Abderrahim Labyad’s abstract pictorial world is a dense, complex world which, like life itself, holds moments of joy, of pain, of anger, of appeasement. This complexity is expressed through the matter, the shapes, the colours, the textures and the signs that inhabit this artist’s world. In this world, colours sometimes interweave as in a dream where boundaries blur. At other times, colours are reversed: a blue, fluid, aquatic underground world beneath a glowing red sky, assailed by dark skyscrapers. Textures in relief seem to call us toward an unknown and mysterious world. Shapes, defined, bold or blurred, sometimes contradictory, like these spirals of life in fresh colours flowing toward blazing reds. Lines that bound juxtaposed worlds, or others that intertwine into triangular spirals or signs — an enigmatic alphabet that defies conventional writing. Fragments of overlapping carpets, these paintings of our grandmothers, claiming their place in modern art through their colours and their signs. Hafsa Bekri Lamrani, poet (excerpt).