Sacred Skin (2023) is an installation in collaboration with close friend and writer Rashid Novaire. In this work, kaersenhout and Novaire probe the ongoing racist and anti-Black interpretations of the biblical story of Ham and its relationship to Black people in the Maghreb countries, who are sometimes referred to as ‘Haratin’ (a contested term for Black people in this region). In this installation, kaersenhout delves into the history of Black people in the Maghreb, and the ways in which they have been ostracized and isolated. kaersenhout and Novaire use the story of Ham to address histories of slavery, race, and Islam in Morocco. In this biblical story, also known as the curse of Ham, the son of Ham and his descendants are destined to perpetual servitude. kaersenhout and Novaire interrogate the ways in which the curse of Ham has been used to justify slavery and the subjugation of Black people in the Maghreb region and the Transatlantic slavetrade. Novaire’s family descendants of  ‘Haratin ‘and they still work for the King of Morocco to this day. Some ‘Haratin’ people from the Draa Valley in the South of Morocco see themselves as descendants of Ham and draw on a different interpretation of this story. One day, Ham, who was still white, used a Koran to protect his head from a heavy rainstorm. It rained so hard that the writing and black ink spilled from the Koran onto Ham’s body turning his skin Black. For the ‘Haratin’ this is a story of empowerment and proof that their skin is sacred. 

The installation comprises of a slow ink drip on top of a
bible opened on the pages which tell the story of Ham. The black ink dripping on the story stands symbol for connecting two religions who have been in constructed opposition for thousands of years. Novaire’s specially created poem fills the room., kaersenhout and Novaire contemplate the importance of storytelling, religion, communion, and a shared sacred space.