Freaky, Artist

Tétouan // Morocco

By Lauren di Matteo

The people I meet and the food that I eat—these are generally the two things recalled most quickly when I’m quizzed on my favorite places visited. And it’s stories like Freaky’s that perpetuate this insatiable desire to GO.

Mohamed Benyaich, affectionately known in the Moroccan art community as Freaky, was kind enough to open his home and studio last year during my visit to Northern Morocco. We spent hours pouring through his personal—and most-prized—journals, watching him paint, and hearing about his life’s work.

Visiting the workspace of any creative is always inspiring to me—it’s almost like peeking into their brain. It’s a place where they can be most free, most themselves. As I gazed around his studio, I noticed trashcans, walls, wooden spoons, old ticket stubs, and countless items Freaky couldn’t help but make his mark on. To this day, his words still echo in my head, “this is the obligation of the artist, to create with whatever you have.”