Presentation
The Biennale Internationale de Casablanca is an independent artistic initiative created in 2012 by Mostapha Romli, Moroccan photographer, artist and publisher who began his activity in the 1990s.
The biennale started as a showcase for the IFITRY Residency, another project by Romli, established in 2008 in the Essaouira region. Located in an idyllic setting, by the ocean, the residency has a capacity of 12 accommodation units. It includes workshops equipped to meet the technical needs of artists working in the following disciplines: painting, sculpture, installation, ceramics, printmaking, textile arts, photography and video. The residency also lends itself to artistic practices such as performance, sound art or writing.
In 2014, the biennale came under the administration of Maroc Premium Fondation, an association whose mission is to manage the biennale and its related projects including: a Contemporary Art Centre created in 2011 near the residence, a contemporary art collection, and the BiC Project Space (Casablanca) opened in 2019.
In 2017, Mostapha Romli invited art historian and curator Christine Eyene to take over the artistic direction of the biennale. This appointment marks a turning point in the history of the biennale since it is accompanied by the introduction of a new form of management, the creation of a new team in view of offering opportunities for young Moroccan and African art professionals, new local and international partnerships, as well as the development of strategies aimed at the viability and sustainability of the biennale.
In April 2019, the biennale launched the BIC Project Space in Casablanca, an experimental space in which an incubation programme is developed between two biennial editions. This venue also responds to the intention to develop each edition in an organic progression in symbiosis with the local social and cultural fabric.
The fifth Biennale Internationale de Casablanca is developed by Christine Eyene assisted by Selma Naguib, Patrick Nzazi Kiama and Juste Constant Onana Amougui.
Following the global health crisis, the 5th edition, initially scheduled for September 2020, is postponed to end of 2022 / early 2023.
