Africa is No Island
The Museum of African Contemporary Art Al Maaden, Marrakech, opened internationally on 24 February 2018 with two exhibitions: a semi-permanent exhibition comprised of the Fondation Alliances’ collection and L’Afrique n’est pas une île ( Africa Is No Island ), an exhibition of contemporary photography from the African continent and the diaspora. The opening coincides with the first African edition of the celebrated contemporary art fair 1-54 in Marrakech. This timely collaboration between MACAAL and 1-54 creates a moment of heightened international awareness, illuminating the creative energy and cultural diversity that is prominent across the continent of Africa.
Curated by Jeanne Mercier and Baptiste de Ville d’Avray of photography platform Afrique in Visu and the independent curator Madeleine de Colnet, the exhibition brings together the work of approximately 40 emerging and established photographers who are working from a distinctly African perspective. The artists examine universally relevant cultural concepts of tradition, spirituality, family and the environment, within the context of modern African experiences and daily life.
Africa Is No Island celebrates Afrique in Visu’s decade-long working practice by selecting artists who have previously shown work on the platform as well as those from within Fondation Alliances’ collection. This platform itself has become a "visual territory", overcoming borders and reporting different perspectives on, around and from the African continent. The curators have chosen works based on the following three themes; Je suis ma représentation (I am my own representation), Dessiner des géographies’ (Drawing Borders) and Recueillir l’histoire (Transcribe History). This display runs alongside a collage-based photography installation of works by other Afrique in Visu artists which covers part of the exhibition space.
MACAAL PRESS REVIEWS
Participating Artists:
ISHOLA AKPO – LEILA ALAOUI – HÉLA AMMAR – MUSTAPHA AZEROUAL – SAMMY BALOJI – JOAN BARDELETTI – ABDOULAYE BARRY – CAROLLE BENITAH – HICHAM BENOHOUD – ADRIEN BITIBALY – NABIL BOUTROS – SEYDOU CAMARA – JOANA CHOUMALI – NESTOR DA – CHRISTINA DE MIDDEL – FATOUMATA DIABATÉ – MOHAMED EL BAZ – FAKHRI EL GHEZAL – MOHAMMED EL MOURID – YMANE FAKHIR – HICHAM GARDAF – FRANÇOIS-XAVIER GBRÉ – YO-YO GONTHIER – MAÏMOUNA GUERRESI – PHILIPPE GUIONIE – WIAME HADDAD – AYANA V. JACKSON – HÉLÈNE JAYET – MOUNA KARRAY – LEBOHANG KGANYE – MOHAMMED LAOULI – WALID LAYADI-MARFOUK – DAVID LEMOR – NAMSA LEUBA – EDGAR MARSY – BAUDOUIN MOUANDA – NYABA LÉON OUEDRAOGO – NICOLA LO CALZO – ANNA RAIMONDO – FETHI SAHRAOUI – GEORGE SENGA – KATRIN STRÖBEL
photo © Baptiste de Ville d'Avray / Afrique in Visu
text © artdaily.org