Short biography

Farouk El Maarouf is a Moroccan cultural scholar and PhD candidate at Justus Liebig University Giessen, Germany. As an artist, he specializes in hyperrealism and abstract portrait art, blending visual expression with critical cultural inquiry. His research explores vernacular art communities and alternative aesthetic practices in contemporary Morocco, focusing on how marginalized artists and informal art dealers operate under conditions of poverty. A former fellow at MECAM’s “Aesthetics & Cultural Practice” program, El Maarouf holds degrees from Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University in Fes, Mohamed V University, and Babes Bolyai University. His work blends cultural studies, ethnography, and critical theory, with publications on street art, youth activism, and informal economies.