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

• a dynamic encounter: facilitating translocal exchanges between artists, thinkers, researchers, and diverse publics

• an expanded field of media: from object-based practices to ephemeral, time-based, and immaterial forms

• a commitment to singular artistic gestures and experimental methodologies

• 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

• specialized and general media, both local and international

• students, independent researchers, and early-career practitioners

• 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

• to activate circuits of exchange between local and international art communities

• to generate intergenerational and transcultural dialogues

• to stimulate cultural tourism through a high-impact event of both national and transnational relevance

• to explore and expand contemporary art vocabularies rooted in Moroccan realities while resonating globally

• 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

• despite its status as Morocco’s economic and demographic capital, Casablanca lacked a major platform dedicated to contemporary art

• there is a growing appetite among Moroccan audiences for critical and experimental art, yet existing venues remain limited

• opportunities for sustained dialogue across generations and geographies are scarce, underscoring the necessity of establishing a connective and inclusive framework for artistic exchange