



Initiated in 2012 by Moroccan artist, photographer, and publisher Mostapha Romli, the Casablanca International Biennale is an independent curatorial platform that seeks to amplify contemporary artistic practices within a context where public infrastructures for art remain underdeveloped.
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Rooted in the legacy of the IFITRY artists’ residency—established in 2008 near Essaouira—this initiative reflects a sustained commitment to nurturing transdisciplinary research and experimentation. Perched on the Atlantic coast, IFITRY offers a site for artistic immersion with twelve living spaces and well-equipped studios, welcoming practitioners across visual, performative, sonic, and literary disciplines. The residency embraces a broad spectrum of practices: painting, sculpture, ceramics, installation, printmaking, textile art, photography, video, sound, performance, and writing.
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Since 2014, the Biennale has operated under the aegis of the Maroc Premium Foundation, which also oversees a contemporary art center (established in 2011), a significant collection of contemporary works, and the BIC Project Space in Casablanca, inaugurated in 2019.
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Conceptualized as a response to Casablanca’s sociocultural and urban dynamics, the Biennale positions itself as a discursive and collaborative platform—foregrounding emerging voices and plural narratives from Morocco, Africa, and the broader Global South, while engaging in dialogue with international art scenes.
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A Plural, Decentralized Biennale
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The Casablanca International Biennale is defined by:
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program that animates the city through the pulse of contemporary art
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a dynamic encounter: facilitating translocal exchanges between artists, thinkers, researchers, and diverse publics
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an expanded field of media: from object-based practices to ephemeral, time-based, and immaterial forms
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a commitment to singular artistic gestures and experimental methodologies
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a curatorial approach attentive to the urgencies of our time, as articulated through situated and contextualized practices
Engaging Diverse Publics
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The Biennale engages a wide-ranging constellation of publics :
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professionals from the contemporary art ecosystem: artists, curators, critics, institution-builders, collectors
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specialized and general media, both local and international
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students, independent researchers, and early-career practitioners
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broader publics, with intentional outreach to communities historically marginalized from cultural infrastructures
One Mission, Multiple Objectives
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The Biennale articulates several key objectives:
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to offer visibility and critical context to artists working in Morocco and the region
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to activate circuits of exchange between local and international art communities
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to generate intergenerational and transcultural dialogues
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to stimulate cultural tourism through a high-impact event of both national and transnational relevance
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to explore and expand contemporary art vocabularies rooted in Moroccan realities while resonating globally
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to foreground the city’s architectural, historical, and symbolic layers as sites of artistic inscription
Why a Biennale ?
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The founding of the Casablanca International Biennale responds to several key observations:
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global metropolises are increasingly hosting biennials and large-scale art events, a dynamic now emerging within the Moroccan cultural landscape
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despite its status as Morocco’s economic and demographic capital, Casablanca lacked a major platform dedicated to contemporary art
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there is a growing appetite among Moroccan audiences for critical and experimental art, yet existing venues remain limited
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opportunities for sustained dialogue across generations and geographies are scarce, underscoring the necessity of establishing a connective and inclusive framework for artistic exchange