Middle East and Africa’s festival of contemporary art and museums are lively, innovative, with an eye to the east and one to the west. We at www.fyinpaper.comhave browsed these events and institutions, often catalysts of new trends and emerging artists. Unfortunately, one was stopped for non- related Covid reasons, the other, for reasons closely related to Covid.
Marrakech Biennial
Sustainability, internationalization, encounter, emulation and dialogue: these are the key words of the Marrakech Biennale, which, established in 2005, it animates the month of February in the Moroccan city. Thanks to this event, Morocco is once again confirmed as a key cultural player in that geographical area.
Visit artistic Marrakech
Discover new trends by visiting both historical monuments and the most unusual places in Marrakech. So, the city also comes alive with tourists other than those “hit and run”.
The local crafts
Focused on the dialogue between cultures and the sharing of skills, the event creates a bridge between local crafts, which is one of the strengths of the city, and the know-how of contemporary artistic creation. Hence, a cultural mix is born, which can generate new connections not only between the materials used, but also between the artists themselves. Traditional culture, therefore, is strongly intertwined with contemporary expressiveness.
Thirty – forty artists are participating in the Marrakech Biennale.
The educational paths
In addition to the official program, the Biennale also presents interesting educational projects dedicated to children. The educational paths of this event involve, in fact, the primary schools and colleges of the city, as well as, of course, the universities, the school of visual and fine arts in Tetouan. Many (4,500) children from Moroccan public schools enthusiastically accepted the invitation of the executive president of the Biennale Amine Kabbaj, architect and art collector.
Under the banner of “Not New Now”, the director aims to describe the current reality of the country, emphasizing the role of artists from Africa, Asia and the Arab world.
Kabbaj declared “I wanted to demonstrate that art, or rather culture, is no longer a Western prerogative”. Unfortunately, the Marrakech Biennale, not being supported by the government, does not benefit from funding. For this reason, the 2018 edition had been cancelled, as well as the following ones.
Abu dhabi’ louvre
Open to the public on 11 November 2017, the Louvre in Abu Dhabi is the result of an intergovernmental agreement signed by the capital of the United Arab Emirates and France.
The purpose of the museum is to conceive human creativity in a new light, under the banner of multiculturalism and hyper connection.
The Art Club Membership
The museum has had so far over two million visitors from all over the world, who in part have also taken advantage of a loyalty program, the Art Club Membership, which offers unlimited access to members and exclusive benefits, such as the priority of reservations for international exhibitions and more. Conventions are also provided for students and teachers.
The Children’s Museum
Very interesting is the Children’s Museum, which in 2019 was the setting of an educational path called “A costume adventure”. It was an interactive game inspired by the clothes portrayed in the works in the permanent galleries. All in the name of physical, sensory and multimedia experiences.
Yerevan Biennial
Directed by the Italian Lorenzo Fusi, the Biennale of the Armenian city also involves the regions of the Caucasus.
Latitude
Heart of the “Latitude” event, space opened in November 2019, allowing permanent exhibitions by local artists and artists-in-residence. Of course, there is no shortage of workshops, special events and conferences, all in the name of interdisciplinarity and interculturality.
An interesting course
The “Art in Business” course, created in collaboration with the American University of Armenia is very interesting and has the aim to create job opportunities for curators, art critics, gallery owners and students. Due to the pandemic, the 2020 edition of the Yerevan Biennale will be entirely digital (23 September 2020), while the appointment with the event is postponed to September 2021.
