Modern Painters

Fatiha ZemmouriA l’abri... de rien,2016. Polystyreneand plaster,18 x 6½ x 6½ ft.IT SEEMED INHOSPITABLE at first for a contemporary exhibition:Marrakech, after all, is a hot-blooded territory belonging to—atpoints politically, culturally, colonially—the Middle East, Africa, andthe Mediterranean. But sheltered within red walls, the city’s sixthbiennial—“Quoi de Neuf Là,”casual French for “What’s up?” andhere interpreted as “Not New Now”—took place inside oases ofolive groves (the Menara Pavilion); exquisite quarters (El BahiaPalace); elegant ruins (El Badi Palace); archaeological gems housedinside the historical Dar Si Saïd Museum, tucked away deep inside``````MARRAKECH``````Marrakech BiennaleVar iou s venues // February 24–May 8JENS MARTIN AND MARRAKECH BIENNALEthe byzantine medina; and the vaults of the Koutoubia Mosque.Sites are mostly within walking distance of each other, though onecould hitch a ride by camel, motorbike, pink 1960s public bus,or patchwork taxi in disrepair, all sharing the same loosely definedroad. Curator Reem Fadda has assembled a rich tangle of politicalmaterialisms, dispersed African modernisms, and curiosities made ofnation building—national building being a concept that could beseen as antiquated or an inevitable 21st-century conclusion.Principals of the 1966 Casablanca Group are reunited in theREVIEWSAFRICA// MARRAKECH``````EUROPE // LONDON // MOSCOW // THE HAGUE``````NORTH AMERICA // TORONTO // CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS //DALLAS// KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI // NEW YORK // PHILADELPHIA``````BLOUINARTINFO.COM JUNE/JULY 2016 MODERN PAINTERS 95