native maqari

Native Maqari is an artist, illustrator and painter who regularly exhibits in galleries and institutions around the world, often in collaboration with other artists. Above all, he is an illustrator. Born in Nigeria in 1980, he grew up in Brooklyn, immersed in graffiti culture. This early exposure to urban writing had a profound impact on his worldview and fuelled a practice that places words at the heart of his artistic expression. This fascination with writing later led him to Tel Aviv and Cairo, where he studied comparative literature and Arabic calligraphy, weaving a link between sign, culture and space. He works in Paris, pursuing an approach rooted in the dialogue between language, form and memory, always prioritising meaning over medium. He co-created Conference of the Birds, a permanent installation in the gardens of Jannat Arif in Mostaganem, Algeria.

msj has had the pleasure of hosting him in residence on several occasions.