Our Pioneer in Marrakech & Amsterdam: Muhcine Ennou

Creativity is deeply rooted in all cultures, yet the way it manifests itself in each can be almost incomparable. For that reason, creatives like Muhcine Ennou who are situated between worlds can often produce dimensions in their work that break out of all existing boxes. Muhcine, our Pioneer this week lives and works between Amsterdam and Marrakech. He is a multidisciplinary creative and exhibiting artist with a background in music, design, photography, and more recently CGI/3D.

Through our Pioneers series, in collaboration with Nils Adriaans, we catch up with members of the Dutch Creative Community living abroad and ask them to send back personal ‘messages in a bottle’ about life away from the Netherlands.

How does moving between cultures feed your creativity?

It’s liberating to be able to swing between cultures, it allows me to meet different people and helps me construct a large frame of reference for interpretation, and a wide perspective on the big and small things in life. It also makes you conscious of what influences your behavior and cultural norms, and purposely challenges and provokes them.

Why are you where you are right now?

In my creative life one thing always led to another. I’m here, I never planned to be here but I'm here, I think I’m just supposed to be here, now. In between two worlds…

I used to use photography as my medium of expression. Being in the Netherlands during the pandemic has changed everything! I was missing the sun 🌞, and couldn’t find anything to photograph that I was interested in, which led me to think about using CGI to create photos that I imagine. While I was experimenting with that and trying things out, I started to share them on Instagram, and they just blew up!

I think that’s why I’m supposed to be here, I’m always driven by the creative freedom I have in exploring and experimenting in different mediums as I started producing music when I was 16 years old and jumped to design, to photography then film and CGI.

I don’t know what’s next but I’m not thinking about that, I’m just here now.

What makes you feel at home?

Amsterdam or Marrakech, I tend to start my day with a walk and coffee, could be in a cafe in the neighborhood where I would sit by myself or a friend or something to start a conversation with a stranger.

What makes you happy that you’re there?

The freedom. The ability to be here and there, Doing things my way, it’s not easy but it works for me, I like challenges and I find joy in figuring things out.

What is your view on Dutch culture and Dutch creativity?

Dutch culture and creativity can be intertwined. Speaking of systematic structures, the way everything is designed can be comfortable and certain of what you can expect, it makes life predictable. Which is efficient but that can also limit the potential of creating new ways of thinking or doing things. Can be challenging to introduce new ideas, while many brilliant ideas are made here for international companies.

What is your Random Pic(k) Of The Week?

I like the randomness of things, I think it’s inspiring, as I tend to find the silence in the noise.

What’s the best piece of work or who’s the most outstanding creative over there?

There’s so many great names out there that i'm afraid i would forget some but here's five artists from each country.

https://www.instagram.com/rwinalife

https://www.instagram.com/walid_bendra

https://www.instagram.com/mohcineharisse

https://www.instagram.com/josephouechen

https://www.instagram.com/ziadnaitaddi

https://www.instagram.com/khaddoujbarghout

https://www.instagram.com/timeisindifferent

https://www.instagram.com/gonsalvesmario

https://www.instagram.com/illmco

https://www.instagram.com/camilleboumans.’

What ‘souvenir’ will you bring home?

I take a lot of pictures, that's how I remember.