Abdeltef HAMACHE

Short Biography

New Scholarship Holder Abdeltef was born in Lyon on 14th June 1952, and is of Berber descent. He is the eldest son in a large family of five sons and three daughters. When he was 21, the difficulties began. Abdeltef began to have balancing disorders and problems walking, caused by an inborn malformation of the occipital joint. These disorders intensified, resulting in tetraplegia five years later. Abdeltef therefore entered the Rehabilitation Centre of St. Hilaire du Touvet near Grenoble, where he attained his final secondary-school certificate, which he later followed up with a university degree in Sociology. Then he moved into a flat in Grenoble. During one stay at the St. Hilaire Rehabilitation Centre, he decided to join a painting studio, even though - due to his disability - he is only able to move his head. This activity quickly became really enjoyable for him. In the colours, he finds a means of escape and a form in which to express himself. On the advice of his teacher, he decided to take up watercolour painting. He took his first steps in painting inspired and influenced by the works of Matisse. Afterwards Klee, Degas and Picasso also enriched his inspiration. He likes painting female figures and silhouettes, and he loves Matisse’s Blue. His faces, bodies and landscapes painted in vivid colours bear testimony to a real desire to reach beyond himself. As he develops further, his work is becoming more personal.