1-54 MARRAKECH

On the occasion of the 2026 edition of 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair Marrakech 2026, NIL Gallery highlights contemporary Moroccan creation and celebrates the creative power of the country’s women through a curated photographic dialogue between Sara Benabdallah and Hasnae El Ouarga.

 

With this presentation, the gallery reaffirms its commitment to a demanding and forward-looking Moroccan art scene by bringing together two artists who explore photography through distinct yet complementary approaches.

 

Sara Benabdallah develops a practice in which the photographic image becomes a space to reflect on identity, social roles, and cultural heritage. Her work examines the symbolic structures that shape women’s positions in Moroccan society, navigating the weight of tradition, collective memory, and processes of emancipation. Through staging, costume, and performance, she transforms photography into both a critical and poetic tool.

 

In contrast, Hasnae El Ouarga pursues a minimalist and experimental approach, notably through cyanotype. Her work investigates light, absence, and trace, engaging spiritual and cosmic dimensions. In dialogue with the concept of ‘ālamīn—the visible and invisible worlds—her practice offers a contemplative meditation on memory, time, and the unseen.

 

Together, the two artists present a nuanced perspective on contemporary Moroccan photography: one more narrative and embodied, the other more meditative and process-driven. Both contribute to redefining the language of the photographic medium and to opening new spaces of representation.

 

Through this presentation, NIL Gallery seeks to spotlight major female voices within the Moroccan art scene and to support their international visibility, while underscoring the vitality and diversity of photographic practices emerging from Morocco today.