The Story Behind "Argan Goats": A Moroccan Dream or a Cosmic Reality?

Zakaria Karkafi
Nov 14
3 min read

Tags: Argane Goats, Surrealism, Moroccan Art, Artist Statement

f you’ve ever explored the roads of southwestern Morocco, you may have seen one of the world's most wonderful and surreal sights: goats climbing a tree.

They perch on the high, thin branches of the Argan tree, a plant native only to this part of the world, seeking its bitter fruit. It’s a real-life image so strange it already feels like a dream.

This image was the spark for my new piece, "Argane Goats."

The Inspiration: Earthly Sustenance

The Argan tree is a cornerstone of our heritage. It provides the world with precious Argan oil, a liquid gold that defines so much of our local economy and tradition. The goats, in their own way, are part of this ecosystem.

In my work, I also wanted to honor another icon of Moroccan life: the tagine.

The tagine is more than just cookware; it is a vessel of community. It’s the shape of slow-cooked meals, of family gatherings, of sustenance, and of hospitality. It is, in its own right, a uniquely Moroccan "vessel."

The Concept: A Cosmic Vessel

This is where the vision for the piece took a surreal turn. I asked myself: what if this earthly vessel was also a cosmic one?

In "Argane Goats," the iconic, conical shape of the tagine is reimagined. It becomes a UFO, a vessel of ascension (or perhaps abduction), beaming its light onto the Argan tree. The goats are no longer just climbing for fruit; they are being chosen, illuminated, or perhaps... harvested.

It blurs the line between the ancient and the futuristic, the traditional and the alien. It’s the Morocco I know, projected into a dream.

The Secret: The Positive/Negative Duality

But the true secret of this piece is hidden in plain sight.

Look closely at the goats in the original "Positive" version.

You will notice a duality. Some goats are solid, "positive" figures, fully part of this reality. But others are already "negative"—ghostly, ethereal beings made of light, as if they are from another dimension bleeding into ours.

This single "trick" is the core of the entire piece. It’s a question about reality. Are they arriving or leaving? Are they phantoms or are they the ones who are truly "real"?

This duality was so powerful that I couldn't leave it as just a hint. I had to explore it. This led me to create a small series, a set of three different realities.

1. THE POSITIVE: The original vision. A hot Moroccan day, where the "negative" goats are the anomaly. 2. THE NEGATIVE: The world is inverted. The sky burns red, the trees are phantoms, and the "negative" goats have become solid, while the "solid" goats have turned to light. 3. THE TWILIGHT: The world in between. A deep, mystical blue where all goats are caught in

a dimensional-bleed, glowing with cosmic energy.