Tate St Ives will be the first museum in the UK to explore the intense period of artistic rebirth that followed Morocco’s independence, forged by the experimental teaching methods of the Casablanca Art School in the 1960s and 1970s.
Led by Farid Belkahia alongside Mohammed Chabâa, Mohamed Melehi and others, this pioneering school paved the way for a new generation of socially engaged modern artists who formed an influential avant-garde network.
Works by 22 artists will be brought together to demonstrate the wide variety of the Moroccan ‘new wave’, from vibrant abstract paintings and urban murals to applied arts, typography, graphics and interior design.
The exhibition will also include a selection of rarely-seen print archives, vintage journals, documentary photographs and films.
This exhibition is organised by Tate St Ives and Sharjah Art Foundation, in collaboration with Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt.
Curated by Morad Montazami and Madeleine de Colnet for Zamân Books & Curating with Anne Barlow, Director, Tate St Ives and Giles Jackson, Assistant Curator, Tate St Ives. Associate researchers: Fatima-Zahra Lakrissa and Maud Houssais.
This exhibition is part of a key moment of international research into the Casablanca Art School, which includes a collaborative project initiated in 2020 between KW Institute for Contemporary Art and Sharjah Art Foundation, in partnership with Goethe-Institut Marokko, ThinkArt and Zamân Books & Curating.
Our exhibition guide explores the exhibition room by room.
Carla Accardi, Malika Agueznay, Hamid Alaoui, Mohamed Ataallah, Herbert Bayer, Farid Belkahia, Fouad Bellamine, Mohammed Chabâa, Saâd Ben Cheffaj, Ahmed Cherkaoui, André Elbaz, Abdellah El Hariri, Abdelkrim Ghattas, Mustapha Hafid, Anna Draus-Hafid, Mohamed Hamidi, Mohammed Kacimi, Miloud Labied, Mohamed Melehi, Houssein Miloudi, Abderrahman Rahoule, Chaïbia Tallal
Tate St Ives is located on Porthmeor Beach. There is a ramp up to the gallery entrance alongside stairs with a handrail.
There are lifts to all Levels of the gallery, or alternatively you can take the stairs.
- Accessible and standard toilets are on Level 3, next to Gallery 6.
- A Changing Places toilet is on Level 3, next to Gallery 1.
- Ear defenders can be borrowed from the information desk.
To help plan your visit to Tate St Ives, have a look at our visual story. It includes photographs and information of what you can expect from a visit to the gallery.