Arts in Marrakech Biennale / Film, Literature and Visual Arts / Marrakech, MoroccoArts in Marrakech 2012:Free Thinking
Surrender
Arts in Marrakech is a Moroccan biennale of contemporary international culture. In February of 2012, Arts in Marrakech will launch its fourth edition titled Surrender, featuring key figures in literature, film and visual arts. From the 29th Feburary - 4th March 2012, public screenings, talks, performances and debates will take place at venues around the city. Opened till 3rd June 2012, Higher Atlas, an exhibition curated by Carson Chan and Nadim Samman will be on view at the historic El Badia Palace. Alan Yentob, creative director of the BBC, returns this year as the organizer of the film program, and Omar Barrada, Elizabeth Sheinkman and Benedicte Clarckson will organize the literature events.
With each biennial, Arts in Marrakech strives to collaborate with local universities and craftsmen, to build a platform that promotes Marrakech's position within the international sphere. Through partnerships with African and international voices, Arts in Marrakech aim to support a Moroccan cultural identity that is both locally rooted and internationally relevant. Developed for this upcoming edition, Arts in Marrakech will establish workshops for children lead by local and international cultural practitioners to promote access to comtemporary culture for all ages. These three months aim to highlight Morocco as a dynamic hub for current ideas and to establish its continued intellectual involvement on an international stage.
Past particpants have included Francis Alys, Yto Barrada, John Boorman, Richard E. Grant, Edmond El Maleh, Tracy Emin, Pieter Hugo, Isaac Julien, Abdellah Karroum, Joseph Kosuth, Julien Schnabel, Zadie Smith, Abdellah Taia.
In 2004 with the rise of global tensions, Vanessa Branson envisioned a cultural festival that would address social issues through the arts, using them as a vehicle for debate and discussion and to build bridges between diverse ideologies. Arts in Marrakech would become a celebration of creativity in a city that has been the focus of artistic exploration for centuries but with limited emphasis on contemporary art. Begining in 2005, as a gathering of arts enthusiasts who organized literary events and exhibitions. Arts in Marrakech has grown to become an internationally recognised biennale with a thriving visual arts, film and literature programme. The festival’s role has evolved along with the climate of the times. With today’s events in North Africa, the organization's goals could not be more pertinent for the cultural identity of the region. This festival aims to show the outside world that Morocco is an open society that encourages freedom of expression and debate, as well as sponsoring significant and lasting benefits for the area and its inhabitants, socially, economically and culturally.
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