Viewing 1-54 Marrakech

Marrakech’s art scene is buzzing this weekend as 1-54 headed by Touria El Glaoui, our Monday Muse, brings the contemporary international crowd to the Moroccan city for four days of special exhibitions, events, talks and at the centre of it all of course, the fair itself, staged at the opulent, historic hotel, La Mamounia.

The Moroccan addition of the art fair dedicated to contemporary African art is always special, bringing art from the continent and its diaspora home – it’s also the home of the fair’s founder, Touria Al Glaoui, who started the fair in 2013 and now holds editions in New York and London every year.

This year, look out for eight galleries based in Morocco, including Loft Art Gallery, MCC Gallery, and La Galerie 38, offering audiences “a deep engagement with the country’s artistic vitality and cultural richness.” The fair also introduces four new international galleries participating for the first time across any 1-54 fair: ELLEPHANT (Montreal, Canada), Imvelo Art Studios (Lusaka, Zambia), The Art Affair (Luanda, Angola), and The Lobster Edition (London, UK / Tunis, Tunisia). Artists include award-winning Nigerian sculptor, Samuel Nnorom, know for his use of Ankara fabrics, and Cape Town-based Khanyi Mawhayi, who creates celebratory colourful abstract forms in mixed media.