From Tangier to Marrakech, via Casablanca and Rabat, the fall art season is slowly falling into place. New venues, young scenes, anticipated returns, and photography in force: an overview of an autumn that is beginning to take shape.
By Meryem Sebti
September is always a bit sluggish in Morocco. It’s still hot, minds have barely returned from vacation, and galleries are careful not to draw their cards too early. This year, the season will really begin on September 17. But looking at what’s being prepared from Tangier to Marrakech, via Casablanca and Rabat, something is starting to stir.
In Tangier, first of all, the “Être ici” festival returns on September 13 for its sixth edition: one day, seven venues, artists, performances, and buildings that are often closed to the public. The format—reminiscent of “Heritage Days”—is modest in duration but quite clever in its engagement with the city. Following the success of Photo Tanger last June (whose exhibitions are currently being taken down), it confirms, above all, Tangier’s potential as a subject for photography: its cosmopolitan history, its architecture, its landmarks, and that unique light that cuts across the sky—just like the strait that continues to attract photographers.
In Casablanca, September 17 will mark the official kickoff. “Momentum,” an exhibition featuring the finalists of the sixth Mustaqbal Prize, has become one of the events to watch to get a sense of the emerging art scene. This year, the jury welcomes new faces, including Bouchra Khalili, Ymane Fakhir, Mahi Binebine, Victoria Jaunasse (Ellipse Prize), and Khadija El Abyad: the lineup speaks volumes about the prize’s growing prominence.
On the same day, Loft Art Gallery is inaugurating its new space in Casablanca Finance City. The move south is no coincidence: leaving the Casablanca of the 1990s (the Racine neighborhood) to bet on a new neighborhood—one that is still defining its purpose—says something about the new Casa. It’s a calculated risk for a gallery whose business now largely revolves around its location in Guéliz, Marrakech, and international art fairs—including Frieze Masters in October, where it will present a solo show by Mohamed Melehi.
The rest of the action will also take place in the galleries. On September 24, AA Gallery opens “Views on the Wall” with Christophe Miralles. At L’Atelier 21, Safaa Erruas returns with “Habiter l’interstice” (September 29), after a fairly long hiatus in Casablanca. It will be a pleasure to reconnect with this important figure of the flamboyant Beaux-Arts generation (the same generation as Younes Rahmoun) and her uniquely singular vocabulary of feigned delicacy: white, thread, apparent lightness—but also the needle, the blade, and the cut. In Erruas’s work, formal softness is always a double-edged sword. In October, Shart will host Fatime-Zahra Morjani—another event to watch for.
In Marrakech, Meriem Bouderbala will be exhibiting at Noir sur Blanc starting September 22—a chance to reconnect with this Tunisian artist who left a strong mark on the art scene of the 2010s. We’re eagerly awaiting Hassan Bourkia at Comptoir des Mines in October—a well-read artist for whom painting, literature, and philosophy have never truly ceased to engage in dialogue.
From October 22 to 25, Art Meets You will finally bring the city’s galleries and art venues back together: a collective event whose program is definitely worth checking out this year.
Finally, in Rabat, the MMVI is preparing a major retrospective in November on filmmaker and photographer Daoud Aoulad-Syad—another strong sign of a season in which Moroccan photography is finally gaining the institutional recognition it deserves.
This late start to the school year is already painting a fairly clear picture of what fall in Morocco will look like.
