Sharjah Art Foundation

Sharjah Biennial 16

Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
6 Febuary — 15 June 2025

Image:

Morad Montazami moderating a conversation titled Casablanca Art School: Intimate Memories and Contemporary Legacies with Mujah Maraini-Melehi at March Meeting. Sharjah Art Foundation, 2024. Image courtesy of Sharjah Art Foundation. Photo: Shafeek Nalakath Kareem

Overview

The Casablanca Art School (CAS) was established by French colonial powers in the 1920s and later came to revolutionise modern art in post-colonial Morocco. The School became a cornerstone for a radical and innovative reimagining of Moroccan art and art education among its staff and students in the 1960s, with a lasting legacy that impacted the entire region.

This session will explore the history and legacy of the Casablanca Art School, commencing with a lecture by curator and publisher Morad Montazami (Zamân Books & Curating) followed by a panel discussion with a cultural practitioner embodying the School’s avant-garde ethos.

Montazami will be joined by Mujah Maraini-Melehi, a documentary filmmaker and the daughter of Toni Maraini and Mohamed Melehi. Maraini-Melehi will discuss her work as a filmmaker who draws on this rich history and legacy.

Watch the video here