Rouh al-Tabi'a (روح الطبيعة / L'Esprit de la nature)

Rouh al-Tabi'a (روح الطبيعة, L'Esprit de la nature) is a solo exhibition of paintings by the Algerian artist Bachir Bencheikh. It is at Galerie d'Art Aïcha Haddad in Algiers and runs from 3 to 13 October 2026. The paintings take the sea, harbours and scenes of daily life as their subjects. The organiser's image of the show is a framed harbour view. In it, fishermen on the quay haul in a net from a moored boat, with other boats and a jetty light beyond.

Bencheikh has spoken of a lifelong fascination with nature and its landscapes. He sets his easel up outdoors and paints the scene in front of him, working d'après nature. The organiser's text for this exhibition points to colour, light and the atmosphere of Algerian landscapes. Earlier shows looked to Kabylie and to farming life: ploughing, grazing, the olive harvest and work in the home. The Casbah of Algiers and its bay, interiors and seascapes also recur. Algerian press has described his manner as figurative, drawing on naturalism and impressionism. Coverage of his 2024 show gave his technique as oil on canvas.

Drawn to painting from a young age, Bencheikh first learned it on his own. At the end of the 1960s he took specialised courses at the Société des Beaux-Arts in Algiers. He names Camille Leroy and Abderrahmane Sahouli as his teachers. By 2022 the Algerian press counted his career at close to fifty years.

Bencheikh has shown at this gallery before. In September 2024 he showed about thirty framed paintings there under the title Nature. Among them were Bab El Oued, La fileuse and Jour de marché. In June 2022 he showed Paysages de la Kabylie et sa splendeur at Galerie Mohamed-Racim, Algiers. Works there included Les moissonneurs and Champ de blé. The Établissement Public de Wilaya Arts et Culture of the Wilaya of Algiers organises the exhibition. The gallery is at 84, rue Didouche Mourad, Alger-Centre, and entry is free.