MACAAL announces the public opening of the Joël Andrianomearisoa exhibition ‘OUR LAND JUST LIKE A DREAM’, curated by Meriem Berrada.
Joël Andrianomearisoain production, Marrakech, 03.2022 © Ayoub El Bardii
For its very first monographic exhibition dedicated to a contemporary artist, MACAAL has invited Joël Andrianomearisoa to occupy all of the museum’s spaces in an exploration of Moroccan traditional knowledge. The artist engages dialogue with diverse artistic perspectives in a polyphonic and immersive scenography, punctuated by a selection of works from the Fondation Alliances collections.
“Our land just like a dream.
A declaration of love to the land and to the hand.
As if the hand were history.’’
– Joël Andrianomearisoa
The exhibition’s title is a verse, a chanted poem as a mantra that speaks of origins and earth, evoking the infinite possibilities held within the material – raw material – that Joël Andrianomearisoa appropriates, reshapes, or reinvents.
The artist is fascinated by ancestral textile arts, and has collaborated with master embroiderers from his native city of Antananarivo (Madagascar) for over two decades. More recent collaborations include weavers in the city of Udaipur (India) and a master loom-setter in Aubusson (France).
The works produced for ‘OUR LAND JUST LIKE A DREAM’ were created exclusively in Marrakech, making use of a variety of local artisanal techniques in sustained dialogue with those who practice them. After an exploratory residency, Joël Andrianomearisoa undertook production of original works in close coordination with experienced artisans. The resulting works are personal interpretations of Morocco’s artistic heritage as well as a tribute to hand craft. Sensitive to the materials that he encounters, the artist combines a variety of mediums with elegance and commitment. Wickerwork, metalwork, ceramics and embroidery collectively serve his poetic vision through textile installations, metallic sculptures or drawings on organic paper; all possibilities offered by the artist’s host territory.
This same quest for resonance led Joël Andrianomearisoa to engage in visual conversations with six artists, including Amina Agueznay (Morocco), Clotilde Courau (France), and Hindi Zahra (Morocco). As they explore goldsmithing, wood engraving, or sound, each of his accomplices – visual artist, actress, or musician – responds to the poetic perambulation of matter created by Joël Andrianomearisoa.
Meriem Berrada adds, “[the exhibition] is also an invitation to adopt new ways of experiencing relationships between matter and territory, to defy the fragile frontier that separates art and artisanry, and to bear witness to secular transmission.”
This carte blanche is the continuation of a dialogue between MACAAL and the artist on the themes of memory and transmission, begun during his participation in ‘What Is Forgotten And What Remains’ (Ce qui s’oublie et ce qui reste), the Africa2020 Season exhibition presented at the Musée National de l’Histoire de l’Immigration (Paris).
‘OUR LAND JUST LIKE A DREAM’ is accompanied by a broad-based educational and cultural programme that includes school visits and guided tours (upon request), conferences and encounters with artists and cultural operators, creative workshops for children and adults, and off-campus events. The ten-month exhibition period will feature multiple highlight events.
Artistic collaborations:
- Abderahman Aboulouane
- Amina Agueznay
- Zineb Andress Arraki
- Amina Benbouchta
- Miloud Bouarfa
- Clotilde Courau
- Yassine El Harada
- Alexandre Gourçon
- Tibari Kantour
- Azzedine Toufikallah
- Hindi Zahra
Exhibuted artists (MACAAL collection):
- Said Afifi
- Mohamed Anzaoui
- Mo Baala
- Farid Belkahia
- Mohamed Ben Ali Rbati
- Meriem Bouderbala
- Hassan El Glaoui
- Mohamed Fquih Regragui
- Hicham Gardaf
- Mohamed Hamri
- Omar Mahfoudi
- Mohamed Melehi
- Mohamed Kacimi
- Abdelkbir Rabi’
- Fatiha Zemmouri
The exhibition will be on view from the 24th of September 2022 until the 16th of July 2023. For more information, please visit MACAAL.
