ARTAFRICAThis emphasis on the present or the living is essential for me because the present
requires action. If we live our life towards the future then we are constantly planning
and the past is restricted to recalling. The present somehow embodies this sense of
taking action, of doing, which I feel is ever-more pertinent in these times.The Moroccan art scene is dynamic and rich. There are multiple generations of
artists that have engaged with questions of how to present work – that is ultimately
contemporaneous and very much anchored on a present – that is associated to people
and society. This is a place where the forms of art are ancillary to its political and
social messages. We need to be accustomed to seeing art that is both beautiful but
for a purpose, and yes, art that wants to implement change in our lives and ways of
thinking. The Casablanca School of artists in Morocco did just that; its key proponents
like Mohammed Melehi, Farid Belkahia and Mohammed Chabaa advocated for
progressive political and social ideas through the medium of painting in the early
60s, during a time of identity-shaping after Morocco had gained independence. I
argue that their ideas persist in the psyche of their societies because their visually
iconographic paintings became emblems that were capable of shaping this progress.The biennale functions as a not-for-profit event. For the first time, the 2016
edition will present its programme in public spaces, free of charge. On a
commercial level, this affects the way in which the work is viewed, stepping
away from the conventional buy-and-sell model of the white cube space. How
does this democratic approach affect the selection process and what curatorial
steps have been taken to accommodate this broader audience?MARRAKECH BIENNALE / IN CONVERSATION WITH REEM FADDA 7/9
FEATURE / MARRAKECH BIENNALEBouchra Khalili, Speeches-Chapter 3: Living Labour, 2013. Digital film, 25’. From The Speeches Series, a video
trilogy. Video still. Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Polaris, Paris.