Looking Out, Looking In: Contemporary Artists from Morocco

Abstract

Looking Out, Looking In: Contemporary Artists from Morocco brings together seven diverse Moroccan photographers and videographers for the first time. Each works in a unique style and comes from a different background, but what links them is their exploration of how seeing is not always equated with knowing. They recognize that the process of looking is a political act and seek to emphasize the ambiguity of meaning contained within the visual. Some artists consider how Moroccan society is looked at by outsiders and confront the historical biases inherent in the colonial gaze. Others imagine a world without borders, making sense of the boundaries that divide nation-states. Some consider aspects of Moroccan culture hidden from public view due to political oppression. Each uses their art to contemplate the moral and emotional experiences of looking in at oneself in response to looking out at the complex social issues that impact Morocco today.