Marrakech Museum of Photography and Visual Arts

The international press recently erupted plans to open the Marrakech Museum of photography and visual arts. So far, the focus of attention of the media and means of speaking in English primarily, perhaps because of the dominance of English as a lingua franca among activists in the field of contemporary art in the world and choose works of art collector David Knaus American to lead the museum.

The Marrakech museum of photography and visual arts expected to open its building designed by the architect Sir David Chipperfield in 2016 at the borders of Menara Gardens in Marrakech, aims to become a cultural key hub in the region that constitutes his heartbeat for professionals, students and visitors from throughout the world in the arts. Show architectural plans four layers of galleries, theater, cafe, library and educational facilities while the group will focus on three themes: architecture / design, and journalism's, Fashion / Culture Engineering [1]. In the meantime, use the Marrakech museum of photography and visual arts El Badi Palace in Marrakech signed him and his projects. On 20 September / September 2013, was the opening of 10 photographers contemporary Moroccans with pictures of the permanent collection, which includes works by each of the Kyoto filings, Carol Benitah, and Hisham Bnouhod, and Ali Chraibi, and Yasmina Bouziane David, and Hisham Grdav, good pilgrims, but Mia Nagy, and Leila Saddle and Mr. David children. On the first of November, the show moved to Sovital Marrakech in preparation for the next project: House residence and exhibition sponsored by Simon Njami with five photographers from Magnum (Abbas, Jim Goldberg, Susan Messelas, Marc Bauer, and Mikhail Ssobotski) begins in November 8 2013 coincides with the opening of the museum.

The task of organizing the museum in Marrakech, Morocco and African contexts that raises critical questions at this early stage. And provides electronic journalism that under rich program of exhibitions and educational and cultural exchange, will be the first institution in the African continent and is working on expanding expertise across cultural boundaries to form a broader awareness and greater tolerance [2]. There is no doubt that the promotion of Total awareness, tolerance and cross-cultural exchange through exhibitions and educational programs of ambitious projects the mission and objectives of technical museums across the world, especially that there is no surplus of supporting artists and arts education institutions in Morocco. But the claim that Altvalawl may reduce the number of public and private institutions and initiatives across the continent, which is investing in the local context and communities [3]. Fortunately, the press release in September / September 2013 departs every dimension of this tone that emphasizes that Marrakech museum of photography and visual arts, will add to the cultural scene in Africa and the most important museum of photography in the world Bamtdadeh 6,000 square meters [4].

However, these basic allegations raise a fundamental question about how to interpret the goals of Marrakech museum of photography and visual arts declared large-scale mission to specific programming when you open the doors. In fact, this very important topic due to the orientation of Alonkulofinu museum in a country where the Arab and Berber languages ​​constitute the two major and where they are traded in both French and Spanish more than English. This was evident on the first page of the project-mail to the Museum of Marrakech, photography and visual arts, as the name of the museum in the Arabic language appears in the background like a reading from left to right instead of the other way around.

In the meantime, the promotional ads for the Museum of Marrakech, photography and visual arts, which includes several images of veiled women a different set of questions on the inclusion of the museum of photography in the context of Morocco in the correct context poses. There is no doubt that doing so requires the lookout difficult to edit the history of this art from the history of colonialism and Orientalism. It also affects the risk to contribute to the writing and maintaining the Moroccan history of photography after the country gained independence in 1956 in ways that go beyond the history of traditional art in Eastern Europe and the United States to include the rich art and photography history in Africa and the Arab world - as proposed permits journalistic each of Susan Sontag and Ansel Adams and Pablo Picasso. At the same time, due to private and institutional support provider for the museum, it is important to monitor the museum options in terms of the priorities of funders and responsibilities towards the public.

These concerns pose challenges as much as an important opportunity for the museum to develop the technical evaluation programs, educational programs and explains his mission before the opening of the year in 2016. He has the ability to transform the local art community - not just expatriates, tourists and the art world - a priority and to move instead of re-centralization confirmation American European law to the history of art and photography of modern and contemporary in Morocco and other countries. We hope that these institutions achieved remarkable successes in Marrakech and elevate art in the world.

Notes:

This story is derived from the review of the draft Marrakech museum of photography and visual arts, see the information contained on the page.
Review the draft Marrakech museum of photography and visual arts, the information contained on the page, p. 37.
Taller same magazine cover a large number of these initiatives would: apartment 22 in Rabat, which was founded by curator and scholar AK in 2002, but Asinmatik in Tangier founded by Yuto Brada in 2007, and Kazemimoar (Memory House) in Casablanca, which was founded in 1995 headed at the moment architect Rashid Andalusian, and trunks, which is involved in the establishment in the year 2013 in Tetouan artist Younis Rahmon and artistic value Saliou Pyrenees. See Archive Morocco in the same magazine.
Press statement to Marrakesh Museum of Photography and Visual Arts, September / September 2013

Emma mar
PhD student in art history from Northwestern University (Evanston, USA) and in the year 2013 to 2014 affiliated to the American Institute of Higher Studies in Morocco.


(English translation: Mary Yazbek