1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair, the leading international art fair dedicated to contemporary art from Africa and the African diaspora, is delighted to announce the return of 1-54 Marrakech at the newly refurbished La Mamounia hotel.
1-54 Marrakech at La Mamounia in 2018. Photographer: Adnane Zemmama
The 2023 Marrakech edition will welcome 20 exhibitors, including eight galleries from the African continent (four of which are based in Morocco), and 12 galleries which will participate at 1-54 Marrakech for the first time. Newcomers to Marrakech include Foreign Agent (Lausanne, Switzerland), HOA Galeria (Sao Paulo, Brazil), La Galerie 38 (Casablanca, Morocco), Mmarthouse (Johannesburg, South Africa), Superposition Gallery (Miami Beach, USA), and TEMPLON (Paris, France).
Works by over 60 artists working across an array of painting and sculpture to mixed media and installation will be presented at the fair. Artists making their debut at the Marrakech fair include Kehinde Wiley, Thandiwe Muriu, Johanna Mirabel, Marlon Amaro, Maya Inès Touam, Mariam Abouzid Souali, Ismail Zaidy Bathelemy Toguo and Omar Ba. Returning favourites including Abdoulaye Konaté, Nú Barreto, Youssef Nabil, Joanna Choumali, Ana Silva, Mous Lamrabat and Prince Gyasi will also be presenting new works.
1-54 Marrakech will be accompanied by an ambitious programme of events in partnership with local institutions from Jajjah by Hassan Hajjaj, MACAAL (Musée d’Art Contemporain Africain Al Maaden), MAP Marrakech (Musée des Arts de la Parure), Malhoun 2.0 and Al Maqam (artists’ residence) among others. In February 2018, the fair was successfully launched in Marrakech, allowing 1-54 to broaden its reach and further diversify its portfolio of exhibiting and promoting gallerists as well as artists who are connected to Africa. Home to one of the continent’s most dynamic arts scenes, Marrakech provides the perfect setting for the fair, building on the city’s creative energy fostered by artists, galleries, and institutions.
Founding Director of 1-54, Touria El Glaoui, commented: “Finally, after 3 years away from our partners, friends, and family in Marrakech, we are delighted to announce our return to the beautiful La Mamounia hotel for our fourth fair on the African continent. We recently celebrated the fair’s 10th year anniversary edition and what a perfect way to follow up from this than with the return to our intimate and much anticipated fair in Morocco. Our inspired programme of events and wonderful galleries will provide visitors with an exciting experience with so much amazing art to discover! I cannot wait to welcome you all again to my homeland and look forward to celebrating with all our supporters soon.”
Now in its fourth consecutive year, 1-54’s continued partnership with Christie’s reflects the fair’s dynamic relationship with the global auction house. The collaboration also demonstrates Christie’s commitment to showcasing contemporary African art to its global client base and enhancing exposure for the fair internationally.
Thanks to 1-54’s long-standing partnership with Artsy, visitors are also able to explore, connect with, and collect from all the galleries and artists online from 9-26 February 2023 on artsy.net.
1-54 is proud to be partnering with Audi Maroc for the Marrakech 2022 fair. Audi maintains a creative dialogue with art and design: Art is created on the pulse of time and provides a perspective on developments of the future. As a progressive brand, Audi stands for modern, trendsetting design and seeks creative interaction. The support of visual arts and design therefore plays an important role for the company. The Audi Group is one of the most successful manufacturers of automobiles in the premium and luxury segments.
List of Participating Galleries
- Newcomers to the Marrakech edition
193 Gallery (Paris, France; Venice, Italy) *
Ed Cross (London, United Kingdom) *
Foreign Agent (Lausanne, Switzerland) *
Galerie 127 (Marrakech, Morocco)
Galerie Cécile Fakhoury (Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire; Dakar, Senegal and Paris, France)
Galerie Carole Kvasnevski (Paris, France) *
Galerie Nathalie Obadia (Paris, France; Brussels, Belgium)
Galerie Véronique Rieffel (Grand-Bassam, Côte d’Ivoire) *
HOA Galeria (São Paulo, Brazil) *
Katharina Maria Raab (Berlin, Germany)
L’Atelier 21 (Casablanca, Morocco)
La Galerie 38 (Casablanca, Morocco) *
Loft Art Gallery (Casablanca, Morocco)
MAÂT Gallery (Paris, France) *
MAGNIN-A (Paris, France)
Mmarthouse (Johannesburg, South Africa) *
Nil Gallery (Paris, France)
Superposition Gallery (Miami Beach, USA) *
TEMPLON (Paris, France; Brussels, Belgium, New York, USA) *
THIS IS NOT A WHITE CUBE (Lisbon, Portugal; Luanda, Angola) *
The fourth edition in Morocco after a three-year hiatus will take place from the 9th until the 12th of February 2023 (Press preview 9 February). For more information, please visit 1-54 Marrakech.
