The 4th International Biennial of Casablanca 2018 Announces Full List of Artists

Héla Ammar, Bab B’har (La porte de la mer), 2017. Courtesy the artist.

4th International Biennial of Casablanca
October 27, 2018 – December 2, 2018
https://www.biennalecasablanca.org

Fondation Maroc Premium and the International Biennial of Casablanca are pleased to confirm the full list of artists participating in the biennial’s 4th edition that will take place from 27 October to 2 December 2018.

The artists are: Ibrahim Ahmed (Kuweit/Egypt), Yoriyas Yassine Alaoui (Morocco), Héla Ammar (Tunisia), Gilles Aubry (Switzerland/Germany), Bianca Baldi (South Africa/Belgium), Raphaël Barontini (France), Shiraz Bayjoo (Mauritius/United Kingdom), Cristiano Berti (Italy), Sutapa Biswas (United Kingdom), Rémy Bosquère (France), Abdessamad El Montassir (Morocco/France) Raphaël Faon & Andres Salgado(France/Colombia), Thierry Geoffroy (France/Denmark), M’hammed Kilito (Morocco), Mehdi-Georges Lahlou (France/Morocco), Mohammed Laouli & Katrin Stroebel (Morocco/Germany), Mehryl Levisse(France), Fatima Mazmouz (Morocco/France), Emo de Medeiros (Benin/France), MELD & Alexander Schellow (United States/Germany), Gideon Mendel (South Africa/United Kingdom), Amine Oulmakki(Morocco), Anna Raimondo (Italy/Belgium), Saïd Raïs (Morocco), Ben Saint-Maxent (France), Magda Stawarska-Beavan & Joshua Horsley (Poland/United Kingdom), Oussama Tabti (Algeria/France), Filip Van Dingenen(Belgium), as well as Mo Baala (Morocco) and Haythem Zakaria (Tunisia/France) presented in collaboration with Limiditi – Temporary Art Projects.

Entitled Tales from Water Margins, the biennial proposes to explore narratives stemming from insular contexts and the relationship to tributaries, seas and oceans from a historical and contemporary perspective that includes experiences of displacement, journey, cultural migration and hybridity. This theme – inspired by Ifitry, the biennial’s residency set on the Moroccan coast in the region of Essaouira and facing the Atlantic Ocean – is anchored within the country’s own territorial features at the crossroad of land, ocean and sea. It also resonates with a number of contemporary issues to which the artists are responding through a diversity of creative forms.

Led by artistic director Christine Eyene, the 2018 edition will range from exhibitions of existing and newly commissioned art works, to more extended research-based projects with artists Delaine Le Bas (United Kingdom),Yvon Ngassam (Cameroon), Yohann Queland de Saint-Pern (France-Reunion Island) and Youssef Tabti (France/Germany).

In addition to the listed artists will be two exhibitions individually curated by Yasmina Naji, founder of Kulte Gallery and Editions (Rabat), and a project by Ema Tavola with artists Margaret Aull (Fiji/New Zealand), Leilani Kake (Cook Islands/New Zealand), Julia Mage’au Gray (Australia/New Zealand/Papua New Guinea), Kolokesa Māhina-Tuai (New Zealand/Tonga) and Vaimaila Urale (New Zealand/Samoa). Ema Tavola’s exhibition is generously supported by Creative New Zealand.

A collaboration is also being developed with Centre culturel Les Étoiles de Sidi Moumen, a cultural centre dedicated to providing young people from Sidi Moumen area with opportunities to develop their creativity through training in performing arts and more.

The 4th International Biennial of Casablanca will take place from 27 October to 2 December 2018. The venues include Villa des Arts Casablanca, La Coupole, École Supérieure des Beaux-Arts de Casablanca, Instituto Cervantes, San Buenaventura Church, and more to be confirmed, including a number of interventions in the public space.

For the first time the biennial will be accompanied with a bilingual (French-English) catalogue.

The press conference and preview will take place on Friday 26 October 2018. The professional days will run from 26 to 29 October 2018 with performances, artists’ talks and round tables hosted in collaboration with École Supérieure des Beaux-Arts de Casablanca, Musée Abderrahman Slaoui and Institut Français de Casablanca.