Marrakech Biennale 6th ed. - March 2016

The 6th Marrakech Biennale will be the place to be from March 2nd to 28th, 2016

Next year’s edition of the Marrakech Biennale is slated to take place in three emblematic places in Marrakech; the “Badii Palace”, “Bank Al Maghreb” and the Palace “Dar El Bacha.”

In 2014 the 5th edition of the Marrakech Biennale, under the patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, was attended by over 450 artists including more than 100 Moroccan artists, and over 30,000 visitors. As Green Olive Arts Director, and an artist myself, I was among those visitors walking the winter-warm streets of the Red City and trying to take in as much of the art as I could. I probably only caught a third of the offerings and I was still overwhelmed by the scope and depth of the work. It was also a great privilege to sit at the round-table discussion one afternoon with representatives from other art residency programs in Morocco. See last year’s post here.

As you could imagine, this watershed arts event is of great significance to Marrakech and is greatly welcomed by the Municipality of

the Marrakech Biennale is undoubtedly one of the most essential links in the current cultural and artistic life of the Red City.

Marrakech and local authorities, such as the Ministry of Culture, who are both supporting the event with an annual grant. However this grant remains a very small part of the overall budget. Despite private donations, the Marrakech Biennale Team is now tackling the challenge to find sufficient funds to ensure a continuance of the Biennale.

After 10 years, the Marrakech Biennale is undoubtedly one of the most essential links in the current cultural and artistic life of the Red City … of even Morocco itself. For its sixth edition the chosen theme, “Traces,” will examine the importance of culture and art in the dialogue between the city’s past, present and future. This dialogue will seek to draw on the cultural and African roots of the city: Islamic, Arab, Amazigh, Jewish, African and Iberian.