On November 1st, the very first National Exhibition of Emerging Contemporary Art Artists opened in Casablanca. 40 new artists are exhibited in a space that lives up to the promise of their work.
Until November 30, the Villa des Arts in Casablanca is hosting the first edition of the National Salon of Emerging Contemporary Art Artists, organized by the Basma Association, in partnership with the Al Mada Foundation and with the support of the Ministry of Youth and Culture, as well as that of the City of Casablanca. This show positions itself as a unique showcase of contemporary Moroccan art, bringing together some of the most promising young talents in the country.
At the same time, workshops and master classes, round tables and meetings with recognized experts are organized. They are also given the opportunity to lead introductory workshops open to the general public, in order to democratize access to the plastic and visual arts.
A very dynamic association
Among the organizers, the Basma association (Beaux-Arts Solidarité Maroc), led by Ilyass Alami-Afilal, should be particularly mentioned. It was born during the Covid crisis from the Beaux-Arts Solidarité 2020 initiative. The first week of the state of health emergency, a call was launched to visual artists in Morocco. More than 70 recognized artists have generously offered more than 170 works of art, offered to the general public during an online charity sale launched on May 8, 2020. Starting in June, 128 grants of 2,000 DH were distributed to students and laureates of Moroccan Fine Arts as well as young self-taught artists or refugees in the country.
In addition, 47,750 DH were donated to any young emerging artist from the sale of their own works. Finally, 202,900 DH went to different associations chosen by the donor artists (schooling for rural children, Marrakech-Covid19, etc.). But this commitment did not stop there, since this meeting with more than 200 young people made it possible to identify a certain number of training needs.
Workshops, residencies and publications therefore followed, as well as a digital platform (www.laplateforme55.org), a veritable catalog of young local artists. This very first national exhibition for emerging contemporary art artists is the most striking part of it.
Curators up to the task
Giving Moroccan youth the means to dream, create and make Morocco a major player in the continental cultural scene is the objective claimed by a team which integrates these talents into a network of mentoring, promotion and professional support. The selection of the exhibited works was made by an independent committee composed of: Hicham Bouzid, curator, co-founder and artistic director of Think Tanger; Hassan Echaer, artist and teacher at the National Institute of Fine Arts; Ibtissam Ghazoui, cultural manager, American Art Center of Casablanca; Kenza Iraki, project manager in charge of cultural programming at CasaAnfa; Salma Lahlou, curator and founder of ThinkArt; Fatima-Zahra Lakrissa, independent curator and researcher; and Nouha Ben Yebdri, curator, cultural coordinator and independent researcher. We can only congratulate this curation work.
More than promising work
Among the pieces exhibited, we can point out a few, in a very subjective and therefore unfair manner. The photographic works of Youness Sefyoui and Mourad Fedouache as well as the very hard black and white prints of Rime Sabbar make you want to follow their objectives in the future. The still lifes, literally, photographed by Mohamed Ahnach already leave a powerful and disturbing impression. “Absence”, the two large-format paintings by Amina Azreg have something of Portuguese saudade: a nostalgia, but of the future, one might believe.
The “Dar” series, charcoal on paper, makes you want to see more of Aymane Ait Yahya’s work. The piece “Untitled”, by Mohamed Amine Serhane, demonstrates a rare talent for balance in the contemporary use of calligraphy. The “Symphonie Gnaoua” series, by Hamza Bat, shows a set of well-assimilated influences, already nourishing a personal vocabulary. But it remains for each visitor to recognize those of these young talents who thrill them. And to take, perhaps, some lead over the professionals in the recognition of the coming generation.
Murtada Calamy / ECO Inspirations
