Canadian multidisciplinary artist Asmae Laraqui, based in Tiohtià:ke (Montréal), has cultivated her passion for ceramics for over thirty years, beginning with her first encounter with clay.  Raised in Morocco, Asmae was immersed in traditional crafts such as zellige mosaics, wood sculpture, and embroidery—art forms that continue to shape her creative language. After two decades in business management, she embraced her artistic calling, transitioning from functional ceramics to contemporary sculpture while earning her BFA in Ceramics from Concordia University in Montréal.

Her work combines porcelain with natural fibers such as wool, wood, and seaweed, using a unique process that preserves fragile shapes through firing. These fibers often burn away during the process, symbolizing transformation and memory. Asmae also incorporates metal and glass fused into her pieces, pushing the boundaries of traditional ceramics through experimentation developed over many years.

Living and working across Morocco, the USA, Canada, and the UAE informs her practice of hybridization and cultural dialogue. Residencies in Portugal and Denmark expanded her techniques, including using natural elements like wind and water to shape form, and exploring glazes through soda firing and wood kilns.

Asmae’s creative process is an evolving conversation with her materials. She carefully monitors the drying and firing stages, adapting to the unpredictable changes that give her sculptures their intimate and poetic qualities. Collaboration is key to her work, currently partnering with North African artists to reimagine zellige mosaics by blending diverse techniques like glasswork, embroidery, origami, video, and lighting.

Her influences include Alexander Calder, Gaudi, Lucille Lewin, Antoine Lavoisier, and philosophical ideas connected to Walter Benjamin. Success for Asmae means creating work that moves people emotionally while gaining international recognition. Grants and awards have been crucial in supporting her innovative experiments and collaborations.

Looking ahead, she plans to refine her visual language, deepen her use of glass to add light, expand collaborations, and increase exposure beyond Montréal. Her sculptures reflect a balance of tradition and innovation, embodying networks of memory, transformation, and resilience that invite viewers to explore the unseen forces shaping life and art.