Sofia Badaoui

Artist “Sofia Badaoui” who is behind “Calikesh”, grew up with one foot in France and the other in Morocco. This exhibition is called “Bonhomme de chemin”.
Each rug is designed in Badaoui’s studio in Yucca Valley, California.
Calikesh delivers thousands of years of Amazigh tradition into the spaces of today. Handcrafted in Taznakht, Morocco, Calikesh rugs are made by female weavers on handmade looms with high-quality wool and natural dyes. Each rug is the product of hundreds of thousands of hand tied knots of fine, Sirouan sheep's wool. Dyes are wildcrafted from the land surrounding the volcano Siroua in the Atlas Mountains. The weavers go early in the morning to pick their flowers. The warm, rusty color is from the precious Safran, which prospers in the volcanic soil of the region. The blue is made from drought-tolerant indigo. Calikesh is a bridge between California and Morocco. Adrar n'Siroua is a vast mountain range southwest of Ouarzazate. It is commonly known in the West as the Atlas Mountains. This range culminates in the ancient volcano Siroua at an altitude of 3,304 meters. Since ancient times, the region has been a transhumance territory inhabited by the pastoral Amazigh tribes. These Amazigh became known for the quality of their sheep. The Siroua sheep is celebrated for its uniform white or black wool and its clean fleece of long, smooth to the touch hair. The high quality of Siroua wool has made the rugs produced by the Amazigh women of the region famous. Artist Sofia Badaoui celebrates the similarities of the California landscape, Mojave Desert, Coachella Valley, and her Morocco. Using different mediums to express this sentiment of "serenity without border", she transcribes these observations onto her art. Calikesh pairs sustainable design with direct aid. A Calikesh rug is a collectible and sustainable addition to your art collection. Sofia works directly with a group of women. There are no middle men, no large carbon footprint. We create a direct bridge between you and us."