In its fourth edition in Africa, the 1-54 Art Fair was hosted in the spaces of Hotel La Mamounia, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year
1-54 – the first international art fair dedicated to contemporary art from Africa and its diaspora
Founded by Touria el Glaoui, the first edition of the event took place in 2013 in London. Given the positive response, the format was reproduced in 2015 in New York and in 2018 in Marrakech. As its latitude and longitude vary, its mission stays the same: 1-54 strives to bring to the surface artistic practices for a long time overshadowed by the self-referentiality of the Western landscape. It attempts to create a prominent platform for African artists and to multiply the zones of contact with international markets.
African market comes to Africa: 1-54 returns to Marrakech
The city, located on the country’s west coast, is situated at the intersection between the African and European grounds. It seems destined to helm the fortunes of the continent’s cultural production. Indeed, institutions such as MACAAL, the YSL Museum in Marrakech and the 1-54 fair have garnered newfound interest in the city as a gateway into the African continent. They have established Marrakech as an international commercial stage. Now in its fourth edition in Africa, the 1-54 Art Fair is hosted in the spaces of Hotel La Mamounia, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.
Ismail Zaidy: from graphic design to photography
Among the artists making debuted fair, there is Ismail Zaidy, a Moroccan photographer based in Marrakech.
The young artist trained in graphic design before landing on photography. «My background in graphic design has played a role in shaping my photographic style and has influenced my sensitivity toward color choices. It has been a tool to create my visual aesthetics. The principles and techniques I learned in graphic design, such as color theory and composition, have played a role in molding my creative process». His introduction to photography came through contact with the artistic practice of his mother, who is a former photographer.
Ismail Zaidy’s landscapes
The artist’s work pertains to a specific value universe. Memory, cultural heritage, and family constitute his points of origin. References deep rooted in the past; however, the artist gives them new configuration and vibrancy by permeating them with the aesthetic canons of contemporaneity. To the redundancy of literal representation, the artist prefers the lightness of forms.
«Contemporary visual culture, with its emphasis on minimalism and abstraction, has impacted the perception of classical values such as family, tradition, and memory. These values may be represented in a more subtle or abstract way in contemporary art rather than being depicted literally. This can lead to a different interpretation and understanding of these values and may challenge traditional notions of what Family, tradition, and memory should look like».
The tension toward minimalism and abstraction reflects the device he uses: a Samsung Galaxy S5. Basic settings and affordability are indicators of research around the essence of things. The artist achieves the recoding of conventional symbolism mainly through color choices and the use of space. Every shot he takes is a production and not a reproduction. Production of a new environment, production of a new time.
studio sa3ada: Photography is a family affair
Zaidy’s creative process moves from proximity and its immediate surroundings. Beginning with brainstorming ideas, gathering props from flea markets, and setting up the stage for the photo shoot. His realm is his rooftop, known as studio sa3ada: this is where the magic happens.
«By my poetics, I aim to highlight the value of family in our lives». Family represents a landmark in Zaidy’s value horizon. That is why it also has a decisive influence on his concrete creative process. His brother Otman and sister Fatimazohra are crucial elements. They serve as models for the composition and participate in every stage of content production. «They’re not just models. We work on ideas together and support each other».
Traditional and contemporary visual culture: mutual nourishment
«Traditional visual culture elements, such as the fabrics, provide a source of inspiration and context». In Zaidy’s work, tradition and contemporaneity are not separated into watertight compartments; instead, they stay in a relationship of mutual integration. They feed off each other. «There is a relationship between traditional and contemporary visual culture in that they can coexist and influence each other. Contemporary visual culture can also challenge and push the boundaries of traditional art forms and techniques».
The modulation of classical themes through the channels offered by contemporaneity and technology, produces a new ecology, a new system of interactions. A hybridization that determines the blurring of the boundary between the ‘old’ and the ‘new.’
Veiled identities: Notes on Zaidy’s symbology
The portrayed bodies are often stripped of their identities. Veils, drapes and fabrics prevent facial recognition. It follows from this the superfluity of facial expression: what matters is the balance of the overall composition. «I’ve discovered that I can create the same effect without showing someone’s face. The image itself is the emotion».
Paraphrasing the artist, the picture’s ability to generate interactions with the viewer depends on the overall geometry of the image.
The recurring features of the composition, such as contact deprivations, distances, and impeded trajectories, are symbols and constituents of Zaidy’s poetics. In his pictures, the physical distance is guarded and preserved like a sacred value. The gap between the depicted bodies doesn’t generate a void but a compositional possibility. «I am bringing attention to issues such as poor communication, strained relationships between siblings and parents, and estrangement within families, which are common but often not discussed.»
Ismail Zaidy in collaboration with MAÂT Gallery
Ismail Zaidy is represented for the fourth edition of 1-54 Marrakech by MAÂT Gallery, which has recently opened a new exhibition room in Paris in January 2023 with an artist studio and a specific space dedicated to photography. The selection of artworks exhibited at 1-54 Marrakech 2023 results from an understanding between the artist and the gallery based on trust and sharing the same horizons.
«I can’t say there was a strategy or process we followed to select the works. It was more about trusting each other’s taste and vision», Zaidy says.
The Art world and the social fabric: a desire for an expanded audience
1-54 is held in Morocco, Zaidy’s home country. This corresponds to the consecration of his work from the community it originated from. A maternal recognition. However, to forms of autobiographical gratification, the artist prefers to observe: «Still art fairs are dedicated to a limited scope of people». Zaidy claims that the art fair world is not distinguished by its accessibility and inclusiveness. Instead, he desires a universal audience, without discrimination, so everyone can thrive through Art.
1-54 Art Fair
With three editions per year, in London, New York, and Marrakech, and a pop-up fair in Paris, the name of the fair, 1-54, draws reference to the fifty-four countries that constitute the African continent. 1-54 leads the ascent of contemporary African art on the international market. Striving to promote diverse perspectives, 1-54 features leading international galleries specializing in contemporary African art, accompanied by FORUM talks and Special Projects program. In the edition of Marrakech 2023, the fair brings together over twenty galleries from across the world to present the work of over sixty African and diaspora artists.
MAÂT Gallery
Maât Gallery It is a contemporary art gallery and artist residency working with a diverse range of international artists. During the 2023 edition of 1-54 Marrakech, the gallery exhibited the works of Prince Gyasi, Fatima Zohra Serri and Ismail Zaidy.
