Rachid Koraïchi was born in 1947 in Ain Beida, Algeria into a Sufi family. He graduated from the Institute of Fine Arts in Algeria before he moved to Paris in 1971 where he continued his studies at the National School of Decorative Arts. Koraïchi works with various media such as ceramics, metal, cloth, painting and installations; yet, due to their calligraphic nature, his pieces are easily distinguishable.

The artist’s profound knowledge of the mystical aspects of Islam has inspired a perpetual search for the spiritual and intellectual legacy of his ancestors. The Qur’an and the writings of the great Muslim philosophers often inspire Koraïchi’s pieces and his art has a highly educational purpose. The artist denies the contemporary perception of Islam as a violent religion and, through his works, conveys the universal philosophical principles on which Islam is based. The profundity of Koraïchi’s work has won him an incredible degree of recognition by the public sectors both in the Middle East and worldwide. He has participated twice in the Venice Biennale and in 2011 he was granted the Jameel Prize by the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Koraïchi’s works can be found in the collections of the British Museum, the National Museum for African Art in Washington, the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha and the Haus de Kunst in Germany.