MARRAKECH.- For its second edition, the modern and contemporary fair Marrakech Art Fair is back at the Palace Es Saadi from September 30th to October 3rd 2011, with 45 international galleries exhibiting their major artists. About 20 additional galleries join the Marrakech Art Fair 2010 exhibitors.

Besides the important representation of the Turkish contemporary scene, and for the very first time, 6 galleries from Istanbul participating to an international art fair outside Istanbul (CDA Projects, PI Artworks, Empire Project, CAM Gallery, PG Art Gallery, and Merkur), Marrakech Art Fair also welcomes two major actors of the New-Yorker scene: Metro Pictures and Edwynn Houk Gallery.

Another front rank gallery has just announced its participation to the fair : Galleria Continua, which is established in San Gimignano (Italy), Beijing (China) and Le Moulin (France). All these renowned galleries reinforce the international dimension of Marrakech Art Fair.

The North African scene (Morocco and Tunisia) and the one of the Middle East are represented by 13 galleries. FJ gallery, L’Artothèque and Sous Sol Art Gallery came to join the Moroccan galleries as L’Atelier 21, David Bloch gallery, Loft Art Gallery, Matisse Art Gallery, Galerie Shart, and also Venise Cadre-GVCC as well as two Tunisian galleries: Le Violon Bleu and El Marsa.

By their side, a gallery from Dubai, Art Space, and Athr Gallery, coming from Saudi Arabia, are joining the gallery IVDE (Dubai) among the exhibitors of Marrakech Art Fair. Among the French galleries, Albert Benamou, Aline Vidal, Daniela Da Prato Gallery, Galerie Dix9, Galerie Jean Fournier and Besseiche Lartigue have decided to be part of this second edition too, such as Galerie Lelong, which will showcase a monumental work of Jaume Plensa produced on the occasion of Marrakech Art Fair.

Marrakech Art Fair also welcomes a newcomer from Russia, Aidan Gallery, and another one from Italy, Voice Gallery. They join the French and European galleries
which took part in Marrakech Art Fair 2010: JGM. Galerie, Magnin-A, Jean Brolly, Galerie Di Meo, Galerie Dominique Fiat, Galerie Rive Gauche/Marcel Strouk, Galerie Marie Vitoux coming from France, and Piramidon Centre d’art contemporain, from Spain.

Thanks to the contribution of the leading additional galleries involved in Marrakech Art Fair this year, the fair bears out its role and its influence on the international artistic scenes already established, but also on the emerging stages. Marrakech Art Fair will thus offer a wide-angle shot of the contemporary art and the artistic Arab scene.

A cultural circuit around Marrakech Art Fair
The cultural circuit of Marrakech Art Fair associates this year interesting video artists in several projects throughout Marrakech city. The mythical cinema of Marrakech Le Colisée, the ESAV (Marrakech Graduate school of visual arts) and other places will welcome an artistic program conceived by the CNAP (National Center of Plastic Arts) and present artists’ videos gathered by two couples of collectors: Jean-Michel and Charlotte Attal, and also Jean Conrad and Isabelle Lemaître.

Marrakech will pay homage to the Moroccan film maker Nabil Ayouch (nominated for the Oscars) presenting two of his full-length movies but also videos of young Moroccan artists that he has produced since 2002, such as Wahid El Moutanna and Hicham Jebbari.

The main hotels and palaces in the Hivernage district of Marrakech will take part in the effervescence generated by the fair by organizing, for some of them, in their own spaces thematic exhibitions. Thus, the Sofitel hotel of Marrakech will host a touring photo exhibition entitled « Fashion stills, if fashion were told to me », presented by Polka Galerie (Paris).

Moreover, Al Maaden Golf Resorts will propose to some gallery owners to show their « ideal collection » within the medina in riads combining contemporary architecture and traditional materials. Among the scheduled exhibitions through the cultural circuit, the the former Bank Al Maghrib agency, at Jamaa El Fna place, will host during and even after the fair (until October 31th), an exhibition entitled « Images
Affranchies » will showcase photos and videos realized by contemporary artists from the Arab world.

In addition to these exhibitions promising great artistic meetings in Marrakech, the organizers of Marrakech Art Fair are preparing a programme of round-table conferences to enrich the cultural circuit throughout the fair. Thus, internationally personalities renowned for their involvement in the art market will call into question contemporary art in the Arab world. Moreover, the VIP program of Marrakech Art Fair will open the doors of the Fourtou Foundation, but also collectors’ residences as well as artists’ residencies including Al Maqam (launched in 2000 by the artist Mohamed Mourabiti for Moroccan artists in Tahanaout), and the latest one, Dar Al-Ma’mûn which hosts international artists.