Villa des ArtsMarrakech
Art at Villa des Arts
Villa des Arts features work by artists presented by YASALAM, a Marrakech-based contemporary art platform bringing together artists from across the Middle East and North Africa who reinterpret cultural heritage through a contemporary lens.
Abdellah Azizi
Photo series
Abdellah Azizi discovered an abandoned coral reef near Guerguarate, on the Morocco–Mauritania border. Using long-exposure photography and light painting with indigo-dyed fabric, he bathes the ancient coral in blue light that evokes its aquatic past.
The photographs sit between memory and the present: a former marine ecosystem, now stranded in the Saharan landscape, is visually brought back to life through light.
Safâa Kotbi
Photo series
Safâa Kotbi transforms the traditional Moroccan mrecha — bronze aspersoirs once used to disperse orange-blossom water — into striking contemporary images. Photographed against open skies and draped in flowing red fabric, the objects become sculptural guardians.
The series reflects on welcoming rituals, cultural memory and the disappearance of these objects from many contemporary homes.
Faiçal Adali
Graphic series
Faiçal Adali reimagines Moroccan protective symbols through vivid colour and graphic pattern. The hamsa hand, the watchful eye and the tiger are transformed into contemporary compositions while retaining their links to protection, strength and cultural heritage.
About YASALAM
YASALAM works with artists across the Middle East and North Africa whose practices transform traditions including Arabic calligraphy and Moroccan craftsmanship into contemporary expressions. Its programme explores themes including identity, diaspora and cultural resilience.