Dreams of 1001 Nights and still alive

What do you think about ethnic interior?
I can only say I love it and will always love it. It tells you stories about foreign countries and their people, about their cultures and about their way of living. It can build bridges over time and space, bring back memories of happy times, even spurt your interest in growing your knowledge about all these beautiful objects which have been and still are created on this world. Ethnic interior is inspirational and you can always combine it with modern and/or classic interior.

It can create a very special aura and will reflect your personality if the objects are authentic, which means you should have been at least in contact with those foreign cultures in one way or other and not collected it simply from a retailer. Fakes do neither have a soul nor do they spread the magic of travelling memories. It is just not enough to have a bamboo table from a superstore in your living room to become reminiscent of  a culture that has been cultivated for thousands of years. If you cannot afford the real thing leave it out. Plastics just don't do it.

Back to my favourite ethnics: Moroccan.
The following photo is from one of my favourite books Moroccan Interiors and I could drool over it again and again. I chose one of the more simple rooms featured there and had to add virtually two of my ethnic paintings which depict motifs from the Sahara. They are from the Magic Symbols series.

(click to enlarge the image)

(original image source "Moroccan Interiors", TaschenVerlag 1995)

The paintings are painted on silk and reflect the rock paintings that have been found in the Tassili N'Ajjer, which is a part of the Sahara and belongs to Algeria. The size of the Tassili is twice the size of Switzerland and is one of the largest national parks of the world. Unfortunately it is not easy to access due to the political situation.

These cave and rock paintings are so fascinating because they seem to be timeless. Although thousands of years old they reveal a modern elegance and have been inspirational to countless artists.

Tassili I, Tassili II
(from the Magic Symbols series) 

40" x 13" each, silk

©Petra Voegtle

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