Noureddine Amir: The Sculptural Dresses

“Noureddine Amir is an artist who uses garments as his medium.” –Pierre Bergé

From February 23 through April 22, 2018, the Fondation Jardin Majorelle will present an exhibition of work by the Moroccan couturier, Noureddine Amir, to be held in the temporary exhibitions hall at the musée Yves Saint Laurent Marrakech. The Fondation pays homage to this artist who has distinguished himself through his unique creative work involving the transmutation of artisanal Moroccan crafts.

The couturier immerses himself in an ancestral Moroccan savoir-faire and heritage. He adjusts and renews them in his work, as manifested in his sculptural dresses born from the raw, organic materials—native to Morocco—that determine their forms.

“Wool, raffia, burlap and silk are carefully chosen, then harnessed thread by thread before undergoing a metamorphosis. The material and fabrics are dyed with henna, dried pomegranate rind or indigo. Noureddine Amir breathes life into the material while restructuring the precepts of fashion. The internationally-renowned couturier, through a meditative reflection, exalts the creative process underlying Moroccan handicrafts.” –Moulim El Aroussi, philosopher and art critic

In 2014, at an exhibition of Noureddine Amir’s work at the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris, Pierre Bergé discovered the artist’s work for the first time, and immediately offered him an exhibition at the Paris-based Fondation Pierre Bergé – Yves Saint Laurent in 2016.

Noureddine Amir has been invited by the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode to participate in their runway show during the upcoming Paris Fashion Week from July 1–5, 2018. He is the first Moroccan couturier to take part in this prestigious international event; it is the greatest honour that can be bestowed on a fashion designer. The Fondation Jardin Majorelle, whose mission includes the advocacy of Moroccan culture and heritage, is looking forward to Noureddine Amir’s work being discovered by a broader public in the temporary exhibitions hall at the musée Yves Saint Laurent Marrakech. The hall was designed in adherence to international museological norms, and works as a cultural and artistic venue welcoming a wide variety of exhibitions related to fashion, art, contemporary design, anthropology and botany.

Hamid Fardjad, the curator of the exhibition, and the exhibition scenographer Christophe Martin, will focus their attention on the couturier’s work and vision, and offer the visitor a dreamlike setting and dialogue between fashion and art.

This exhibition is programmed during the 1-54 Contemporary Africain Art Fair

Hours
From 10am to 6pm except Wednesdays

Exhibition curator: Hamid Fardjad
Exhibition designer: Christophe Martin