Born in Algeria in 1947, the descendant of an old Sufi family, Rachid Koraïchi works with effortless facility in several contrasting mediums, producing pieces that belong firmly within the Sufi tradition yet which nonetheless encompass intriguing aspects of modernity and universality. Through the use of Arabic calligraphy and symbols from both ancient and current cultures, Koraïchi investigates the lives of the fourteen mystics of Islam: great Muslim thinkers and poets such as Rumi and El Arabi whose visions remain an enduring one throughout the world to this day.

Koraïchi's work is influenced by an abiding fascination with signs of all kinds, both real and imaginary, beginning with the intricate beauty of...