The exhibition, organised as part of the spring session of the 46th Asilah International Cultural Festival, offers visitors a collection of paintings and art pieces belonging to the Asilah Forum Foundation, which were created within the framework of various art workshops organised throughout 2024.
The exhibition, which will continue until mid-September, includes about 60 works created by artists and creators from a number of countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Britain, Egypt, France, Senegal, Spain, Syria, and Morocco, in addition to children's works created as part of the "Season Talents" segment.
Among the exhibiting artists are Sanaa Serghini, Abdelkader Mlihi, Abdessamad Bouisramen, Tarek Fittah, Souhail Benazzouz, Sara Ahlaloum, Mustapha Alami, and Sawsan Mlihi (Morocco), Valérie Herbin (France), Fleur Gonzalez Francia (Spain), Amy Célestine Ndione (Senegal), Khaled Al-Saai (Syria/United Arab Emirates), Ali Ali Sultan (Syria/Spain), Lubna Al-Amin (Bahrain), and Nazli Madkour (Egypt), whose creations combine portraits, characters, vibrant landscapes, and still life, immersing visitors in a world full of magic and beauty.
The exhibition invites the general public, tourists, and residents of Asilah to discover diverse paintings and drawings of various colours and shapes, which are the product of the creativity of artists from different backgrounds and horizons with different sensibilities, but who are brought together by the events of the Asilah International Cultural Festival.
The Assistant Secretary-General of the Asilah Forum Foundation, Taoufik Louzari, highlighted that this exhibition, which sheds light on the Foundation's private art collection, is an opportunity for the public to discover artworks created by passionate and committed artists from several countries, who participated in the various workshops and art residencies organised in 2024 as part of the Asilah Festival.
Louzari added, in a statement to the Maghreb Arabe Presse (MAP) agency, that this exhibition offers visitors a true immersion into a unique world, full of the magic of creativity, beauty, and serenity, confirming that the public will also have the opportunity to appreciate the creations of the season's children.
For his part, the Zailachi artist (native of Asilah), Abdelkader Mlihi, expressed his happiness to see his artworks, which he created during the last session of the festival, displayed before lovers of art and creativity, considering the exhibition an opportunity to celebrate the talents and creations of a number of prestigious national and international artists who participated in the art workshops organised during the spring, summer, and autumn sessions last year, which gave artists the opportunity to share their experiences, ideas, and knowledge in this field.
Mlihi said that he addressed the subject of water in his exhibited works, which rely on graphic work about humans through their history, existence, and relationship with other living beings on Earth and in nature, inviting the residents and visitors of Asilah to come to the exhibition to discover the colourful works created by talented and creative artists from diverse backgrounds and different art schools.
For her part, the artist Kawtar Chriki, supervisor of the "Season Talents" workshop, indicated that this exhibition aims to celebrate the achievements of the children benefiting from the workshop, confirming that these "emerging artists" do not hide their joy at seeing their work displayed alongside the creations of great and well-known artists.
Ms. Chriki noted that this exhibition presents about 20 artworks created by children aged between 5 and 16, pointing out that these creations embody the sensitivity and creativity of talented children and youth.
It is worth noting that the summer of 1978 saw the birth of the first fine arts workshop in the city of Asilah, on the occasion of the organisation of the first session of the Asilah International Cultural Festival, which was created by the late Mohamed Benaissa and Mohamed Mlihi. A group of prestigious artists from Morocco and abroad participated in this event.
With the succession of sessions, these workshops have formed a space for meetings between artists and critics, and a fertile ground for the cross-pollination of their creative experiences and the exchange of their artistic ambitions under the guidance of a selection of pioneering artists.
It is noted that the spring session of the 46th Asilah International Cultural Festival is being held from 5 to 20 April and is dedicated to fine arts, including exhibitions and art workshops in which artists from Morocco, Bahrain, Spain, Syria, Romania, Belgium, and Britain are participating. It also hosts the Season Talents workshop (children's studio) and the literary expression and children's writing workshop.
