Nicknamed Ralhi (“big brother”), Aouam Abdelarrazzak was born in a mining town south of Casablanca. He worked as a mechanical technician, maintaining trucks for a printing company. But when the business closed, his marriage collapsed, and he was sentenced to prison following an unintentional homicide, his life unraveled. What followed was a period of profound distress that led him into the depths of drug addiction.
With the support of his older sister, he eventually overcame his addiction and began to rebuild himself, finding a fragile equilibrium through drawing.
His work is populated by hybrid figures that merge plant forms, human faces, and animal features. Yet Aouam Abdelarrazzak places little importance on his creations, often discarding them, as he regards drawing as nothing more than a simple pastime. His works were saved from destruction thanks to a chance encounter with a French woman — a  family friend — who recognized their singular power. Through her, his drawings began to circulate and gradually attracted the attention of collectors.