In the art world, a Biennale, Italian for "biennial" or "every other year", is a large-scale international contemporary art exhibition. The term was popularised by the Venice Biennale, which was first held in 1895, but the concept of such a large scale, and intentionally international event goes back to at least the 1851 Great Exhibition in London.
El Badi Palace or Badi' Palace is a ruined palace located in Marrakesh, Morocco. It was commissioned by the sultan Ahmad al-Mansur of the Saadian dynasty a few months after his accession in 1578, with construction and embellishment continuing throughout most of his reign. The palace, decorated with materials imported from numerous countries ranging from Italy to Mali, was used for receptions and designed to showcase the Sultan's wealth and power. It was one part of a larger Saadian palace complex occupying the Kasbah district of Marrakesh.
Alexandra Bircken is a German artist. She is based in Berlin and Munich. Bircken creates assemblages featuring everyday ephemera like wood, knitted fragments and twigs. Her work has strong references to traditional craft practices and to the natural world, from which she sources her materials.
Vanessa Branson is an English businesswoman and the founder of the Marrakech Biennale.
Tue Greenfort is a Danish artist best known for his environmentalist works. He studied at the Staatliche Hochschule für Bildende Künste (Städelschule), Frankfurt am Main and at Academy of Fünen, Denmark.
James Webb is a South African artist best known for his interventions and installations incorporating sound. His sound installations place special emphasis on the sourcing and presentation of the sound clips, as well as the social significance and context of these sounds. Often referred to as a "collector of sounds," Webb is interested in the role that aural events play in our everyday life. The physical presentation of the work, including the installation space and the logistics of speakers, are also deliberate choices for Webb.
The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Marrakesh, Morocco.
The 56th Venice Biennale was an international contemporary art exhibition held between May and November 2015. The Venice Biennale takes place biennially in Venice, Italy. Artistic director Okwui Enwezor curated its central exhibition, "All The World's Futures".
Michael Robert "Mike" Watson is a British-born art critic, media and cultural theorist, and curator, currently based in Finland.
The Moscow International Biennale for Young Art (MIBYA) is a major contemporary visual art exhibition that focuses on the work of artists and curators under the age of 35. It aims to bring together new artistic initiatives from Russia and the world by supporting the creative development of young artists for interested audiences. MIBYA was first held in 2008 in response to rising interest from artists, curators and critics following the festival of young art, "Qui Vive?" sponsored by the National Center for Contemporary Arts (NCCA) and held annually from 2002 to 2006, in collaboration with free workshops at the Moscow Museum of Modern Art (MMOMA). "The project has acquired new status thanks to growing interest from young artists, curators, and critics. Through the combined efforts of the NCCA and MMOMA, the biennial for young art was developed." Participants are given the chance to establish connections and connect with the professional artistic community.
Hassan El Mezouari El Glaoui (1923–2018) was a Moroccan figurative painter best known for his depictions of fantasia horsemen.
The 55th Venice Biennale was an international contemporary art exhibition held in 2013. The Venice Biennale takes place biennially in Venice, Italy. Artistic director Massimiliano Gioni curated its central exhibition, "The Encyclopedic Palace".
The Angolan pavilion, representing the nation of Angola, has participated in the Venice Biennale since 2013. As one of the biennial international art exhibition's national pavilions, Angola mounts a show in a Venetian palazzo outside Venice's Giardini. The first Angolan pavilion, which featured the photography of Edson Chagas, became the first African national pavilion to receive the biennial's top prize, the Golden Lion for best national pavilion. Chagas displayed poster-sized photographs of resituated, abandoned objects and weathered architecture in the Angolan capital of Luanda. Reviewers praised the interplay between the photographed subject matter and the Italian Renaissance artwork that adorned the hosting palazzo's walls. The 2015 Biennale hosted a group show of five Angolan artists on themes of intergenerational dialogue.
Natalie King is an Australian curator and writer working in Melbourne, Australia. She specializes in Australian and international programs for contemporary art and visual culture. This includes exhibitions, publications, workshops, lectures and cultural partnerships across contemporary art and indigenous culture.
The Kasbah Mosque, also known as the Moulay al-Yazid Mosque, is a historic mosque in Marrakesh, Morocco. It was originally built by the Almohad ruler Yaqub al-Mansur in 1185–1190 CE. It is located in the Kasbah district, the city's former citadel, near the site of its historic royal palaces. Along with the Kutubiyya Mosque, it is one of the most important historic mosques in Marrakesh.
Faouzi Laatiris, is an artist who lives and works in Tétouan and Martil, in Morocco.
Khaled Malas is a Syrian architect and art historian. He is also a co-founder of the Sigil Collective alongside Salim al-Kadi, Alfred Tarazi and Jana Traboulsi.
Charlotte Prodger is a British artist and film-maker who works with "moving image, printed image, sculpture and writing". Her films include Statics (2021), SaF05 (2019), LHB (2017), Passing as a great grey owl (2017), BRIDGIT (2016), Stoneymollan Trail (2015) and HDHB (2012). In 2018, she won the Turner Prize.
1:54 is an annual contemporary African art fair held in London during the October Frieze Week since 2013. It was organized to improve the representation of contemporary African art in worldwide exhibitions, and is the foremost art fair dedicated to contemporary African art in the primary art market. By 2016, the show had become three times the size of the original exhibition with 130 artists represented. A spin-off, pop-up show, 1:54 NY, has been held annually in New York City during the May Frieze New York since 2015. A third location, in Marrakech, began in 2018. Critics have described 1:54 as a highlight of the Frieze event, and wrote that the show's publicity for contemporary African art outweighs the issues of lumping disparate geographic traditions together. The fair's representation from African galleries has improved as the international market for African art expands.
El Fenn is a boutique hotel in Marrakech, Morocco opposite the Koutoubia Mosque. El Fenn has often been listed as one of the best hotels in the world by Condé Nast Traveler being included on their Gold List in 2017, 2021, 2022 and 2024. "El Fenn" means art in the Arabic language. El Fenn has 42 rooms, a roof top bar and restaurant, courtyard cafe and bar and several private swimming pools. The El Fenn shop stocks clothes and artifacts designed by people living and working in and around the city including a collaboration with a non-profit co-operative AlNour.
