The sixth edition of 1-54 Marrakech art fair was the first time Capital Art attended the North African fair and is one of two fairs, which include contemporary art, held in the region. Marrakech has always been a bucket list destination for many, and seeing it during the art fair presented a unique opportunity, not only because the cold weather was an atypical time to visit the city. We outline some highlights regarding artists, galleries and exhibitions from our time in Marrakech.
A Look at the Sixth Edition’s Venues: DaDa & La Mamounia
The art fair is held across two venues: DaDa (located at the famous Jemaa el Fna – a square situated in the medina), which used to be a bus station and is now a multidisciplinary art and culinary space, and the event space at five-star hotel La Mamounia. The King of Morocco owns this lavish hotel and was more recently popularised by the pandemic dramatic limited Netflix series Inventing Anna. Many other events we attended were located in and around the medina or old town, the newer city centre areas like Geuliz, and more outlying areas like Palmerie, as well as where the Museum of Contemporary African Art Al Maaden (MACAAL) is located.
Spotlight on Artists & Galleries
Key Exhibitions at DaDa: Emerging & Established Talent
Our favourite presentations at DaDa are highlighted below.
Galerie SINIYA28, Marrakech, Morocco
Galerie SINIYA28’s presentation contained four artists they represent: Rachid Bouhamidi, Ali Maimoun, Abdelmalek Berhiss, and Rita Alooui, a mix of self-taught and formally taught artists. The works of Rachid Boumaidi (1981) are heavy on vibrant colours and repetitions of pattern-like bodies and exotic plant forms, represented in a (metaphoric) mosaic that emulates his French, Moroccan and American cultural heritage and upbringing. Ali Maimoun (1956) is known for using coloured sawdust to give his work a sculptural and rhythmic quality. He was originally a mason and expressed his creative talent with stone sculptures before becoming a self-taught painter. His expression is rooted in Amazigh and wider African heritage, particularly those relating to magic and trance rituals. Self-taught, Abdelmalek Berhiss (1971) experimented with different mediums and various materials before devoting himself to painting. He was one of the first to have work presented at Galerie Frédéric Damgaard in Essaouira at the age of nineteen. He is a celebrated artist known for his elegant use of dots. You can see more about Rita’s practice and work later in the post.
Hunna Art, Kuwait City, Kuwait
Hunna Art is an independent contemporary art gallery founded in 2021. The gallery is dedicated to amplifying the voices of a new generation of women artists from or connected to the Arabian Peninsula and its diasporas, focusing on critical engagement and artistic experimentation. Their presentation consisted of two artists: Maïssane Alibrahimi and Amina Yahia.
The works by Cairo-born artist Amina Yahia (2000) were arresting. Her practice explores human interaction through the lenses of folkloric and systematic influences on belief and behaviour, focusing on female identity.
The sculptural works by Moroccan Maissane Alibrahimi (1999) were also intriguing, using a tower made of materials like sugar and ceramic plates to critique patriarchal structures.
CDA Gallery, Casablanca, Morocco
CDA Gallery celebrates African and Arab contemporary art through bold narratives and innovative perspectives. The gallery exhibited four artists: Rahma Lhoussig (1996, Morocco), Muhcine Ennou (1991, Morocco), Amine Asselman (1989, Morocco) and Yvanovitch Mbaya (1994, Republic of Congo).
Ennou’s artistic practice addresses societal issues by integrating photography, CGI, sound, and film, employing both analogue and digital methods. The two works presented, both entitled Desertism, use CGI to evoke Arabfuturism and dream of life in the future.
Asselman’s passion for geometry and its cultural significance, especially in Islamic art, attracted the maths nerd in me to his artworks. He bridges science and art through Zellige and ceramics. Zellige is a handcrafted natural glazed clay tile that is traditional to Morocco. The beauty of Zellige is that each tile is unique, with irregularity of surface, tone, flatness, thickness and colour. Drawing inspiration from M.C. Escher and Moroccan traditions, he uses arithmetic permutations to create infinite geometric patterns. His work transforms spaces by employing Tétouan’s endangered Zellige techniques and mineral-based enamels, merging contemporary innovation with the preservation of ancestral craftsmanship.
Must-See Galleries at La Mamounia during 1-54 Marrakech art fair
With 22 booths (compared to six at DaDa), there was more to explore and enjoy at this iconic venue.
African Arty
African Arty is one of the newer galleries (founded in 2019), representing the trend of innovative curators creating innovative mixed-use spaces, as it also hosts a studio and residency space in Casablanca. The gallery had one artist, and a special one at that! We loved all the works, across different media, by Abderrahman Rahoule (1944, Morocco). Rahoule has been a key figure in the emergence of contemporary Moroccan art since the 1960s and has excelled in painting and sculpture. His work often features anthropomorphic forms, frequently entwined and inspired by the architecture of Casablanca, reflecting a profound connection to his cultural and urban environment.
Galerie Médina
This dynamic cultural hub, dedicated to promoting Sahelien cultures around the world, is based in Bamako, Mali and presented three artists: Kevin Kabambi (1999, Democratic Republic of the Congo), Willow Evann (1985, France) and Maheder Haileselassie Tadese (1990, Ethiopia).
Kabambi’s work displayed an innovative use of photography to combine contemporary imagery with historical archives. His practice is deeply rooted in the DR Congo’s cultural history and colonial legacy, and his works have been shown at the Bamako Photography Biennale, in addition to others.
Evann’s Ivorian heritage and French upbringing inspire his exploration of identity, movement, and the cultural narratives influenced by African and colonial histories. Evann was selected for the 2024 Bamako Photography Biennial, earning the prestigious Bisi Silva Award as the second-best artist.
Tadese is a self-taught photographer and visual artist who explores history, memory, and everyday experiences. She was selected for the 2024 Bamako Photography Biennial, receiving the Seydou Keita Award for Best Artist. Her artistic practice combines photography, anthropology, and architecture, resulting in photographs of landscapes and scenes that seem dreamlike.
Galerie 208
Galerie 208 aims to create a dialogue between the Asian, African and European art scenes. The gallery presents community-minded artists whose works are marked by the emotions of their respective journeys and by a humanitarian vision deeply rooted in their representation of the world: eL Seed (1981, France), Armand Boua (1978, Côte d’Ivoire) and Mahi Binebine (1959, Morocco).
Binebine constantly explores the issue of humanity and extreme conditions, creating paintings of both loneliness and despair, but also harmony and joy; the paintings and sculptures in the presentation show these two juxtapositions represented by two figures. His works are among the most important museums and collections worldwide. Along with Fathiya Tahiri, Binebine was selected as curator for Morocco’s first participation in the Venice Biennale 2023.
Galerie Atiss Dakar & space Un
Founded by Aïssa Dione in 1996, Galerie Atiss Dakar is invested in incubating and developing emerging artists. As well as organising residencies, the gallery is now recognised for introducing its artists to an international audience via platforms such as the Dak’Art – Biennale de l’Art Africain Contemporain and international fairs such as 1-54, AKAA, Art Dubai, Art Paris or Art X Lagos. Their presentation included five artists: Koffi Kukoff Kugbe (1979, Togo), Camara Gueye (1968, Senegal), Yadichinma Ukoha-Kalu (1995, Nigeria), Ousmane Bâ (1988, France), and Ngimbi Bakambana (1977, Democratic Republic of the Congo).
space Un is a newly established arts and culture venue in Tokyo dedicated to showcasing Contemporary African Art and fostering cultural exchange between Japan and African countries. The venue was founded by collector Ms. Edna Dumas and actor and artist Yuta Nakano. space Un presented Aliou Diack (1987, Senegal) who recently completed a residency at space Un.
Beyond the Fair: Exploring Marrakech’s Art Scene
Beyond the 1-54 Marrakech art fair main venues, there were a myriad of events happening over the art fair weekend and beyond. If you happen to be visiting Marrakech anytime soon, you can check out the list provided by the art fair of events happening in and aorund the city (and hopefully the site will be maintained for some weeks after the fair).
Walkabout: “The Water Under My Skin” by Rita Aloui
The current exhibition at Galerie SINIYA28 is Aloui’s second exhibition, following one in 2023, entitled “The Silent Garden”. Her paintings explore the details of natural and ordinary objects, which she collects, and stages in pictorial works that forcibly recompose spaces and relationships between them. She ultimately composes spaces where she confronts objects or furniture within a domesticated natural environment.
The chairs, a feature in The Water Under My Skin and her previous exhibition at the gallery, are a reference to the ubiquitous security personnel present in and around many medinas in Morocco. This recent showing maintains the reference to nature and landscapes. Still, it now moves to below the sea or ocean, reflecting on Rita Alaoui’s fascination for the vastness and mysteries of the underwater sea beds, which, primarily unexplored, cover most of our planet. “Just as the oceans hide invisible universes, the organs under our skin form miniature water-filled landscapes, which compose more than half of our bodies. These mystical pictorial depictions are embedded with human-made objects and natural creations to portray the story of the interaction between man and his environment at once invasive, dominating, and sometimes poetic.”
Curator Lorén Elhili led the walkabout.
Lalla Essayidi exhibition at Dar el Bacha: Diverting the voyeuristic gaze on harems
1-54 Marrakech art fair also enabled us to view this special exhibition: Lalla Essaydi’s “L’invisible dévoilé” was on view at the Musée des Confluences Dar El Bacha, in the same historic palace where the series Harem was made in 2009.
For this body of work, Essaydi created fabrics for her models that mimic the patterns within the palace, creating images of women who are at once camouflaged with the decoration that surrounds them and simultaneously emerging from these traditional spaces. The palace Dar El Bacha, a symbol of Marrakech’s rich history and culture, was transformed into a museum in 2017. Dar El Bacha is a grand residence built in 1910 and was once the home of Thami El Glaoui, who was appointed as the Pasha (Governor) of Marrakech by Sultan Moulay Youssef in 1912. Thami El Glaoui, often referred to as “The Lord of the Atlas,” was one of the most influential figures in Morocco during the French Protectorate. He travelled widely and was inspired by his travels, and he would commission artisans to recreate things he had seen in the style of local craftsmanship that one sees in the palace today.
The exhibition is a powerful piece of activism against the Western ideas of what a harem is. It allows Arab women to divert the voyeuristic gaze typically ascribed to any imagery of them and enforce their agency over how photographers portray them.
MACAAL reopens with “Seven Contours, One Collection”
The zenith of the weekend activities was the reopening of MACAAL, the private museum founded by Othman Lazraq, the son of the real estate tycoon Alami Lazraq and the modern face of the Lazraq family’s collection of modern and contemporary African art. The family collection has been amassed over four decades and includes 2,500 artworks from across the African continent. Seven Contours, One Collection is an exhibition which features 150 works from the collection arranged around seven major poetic, political and technical issues at stake in contemporary African art practices: DECOLONISE, TRANSCRIBE, INITIATE, COHABITATE, CONVERGE, PROMISE and WEAVE. There is also a room named CONNECT that presents a timeline of contemporary art from the 1950s, around the time of the waves of independence of many African countries, to the present day, namely 2025.
Notable works include works by Moroccan artists Mohamed Ben Allal, Hassan Hajjaj, Hasson El Glaoui, Amina Agueznay, Ahmed Cherkaoui, and Mohamed Melehi, Sudanese painter Salah Elmur, Malian photographer Malick Sidibé’s Nuit de Noël, sculptures by Tanzanian George Lilanga, Malawian Billie Zangewa, Beninoise sculptor Dominque Zinkpè, and South Africa Chris Soal.
The private museum will also have a temporary exhibition space. The exhibition contained artworks by French-Moroccan artist Sara Ouhaddou. Sara Ouhaddou has worked with mainly Moroccan communities for almost a decade to produce works that reinterpret ancestral techniques in glass, ceramics, weaving, and embroidery. Each of these mediums is in the temporary exhibition, and these artworks are a feast for one’s eyes.
This private museum is definitely worth visiting every time one is in Marrakech.
Final Thoughts: Why 1-54 Marrakech Art Fair Matters
We hope you enjoyed a few of the highlights we mentioned. 1-54 Marrakech Art Fair put on show some of Africa’s finest when it comes to contemporary art. The art fair and the events in and around the city certainly do well to spotlight Moroccan art and its breadth and beauty. The continent is huge and it is not a monolith, and with over 70% of collectors reporting increased interest in African contemporary art (Art Basel & UBS Global Art Market Report, 2023), adding this to the other art fairs one visits to see contemporary African art is a must. Follow us on Instagram to see more content from our trip to Marrakech. What were your favourite highlights if you attended this edition of 1-54 Marrakech? And if you’ve visited neither Marrakech nor 1-54, would you want to join us when we next head there? Let us know in the comments!
Fascinating report on the art fair thank you !