Sara Ouhaddou : Display

For her solo exhibition Display, Sara Ouhaddou explores the relationship between the artist and the artisan. This initiative is the result of a dialogue between ifa Gallery Berlin and Museum of African Contemporary Art Al Maaden (MACAAL), led by their respective artistic directors Alya Sebti and Meriem Berrada. The coinciding exhibitions compel the artist to rethink the modes of displaying works of art, particularly within the museum context. By highlighting the craftsmanship of local artisans, Ouhaddou challenges the established conventions between artists and artisans, a crucial issue in the contemporary art world.

In Display, Ouhaddou invites viewers to participate in role-playing where the traditional positions ascribed to the artist and the artisan are reversed. She has a long history of collaboration with artisans, and this experience lies at the heart of her artistic approach. As a former retail designer for luxury houses, Sara Ouhaddou has consistently sought a way to integrate these same artisans into her creative process. She states, “I have often wondered over the past few years how to show and explain my types of collaborations with artisans. I thought, why not create the supports and make them available to exhibit their know-how?”, illustrating her commitment to empowering those who contribute to her artistic vision.

The exhibition focuses on the collective creativity that results from collaboration, prompting reflection on the role of art in contemporary society. Ouhaddou deconstructs traditional forms and narratives, generating a new dynamic in how we perceive the relationship between art and the artisanal. The impact of Display lies in its ability to blur the boundaries between the various roles involved in the creative process. By challenging conventional hierarchies, Ouhaddou creates a space where the craft industry and art coexist harmoniously, each enriching the other.

Display will unfold in two distinct phases. In the first part, held in Berlin, the artist maps her relationships with the people, materials, and objects that surround her. This approach contextualizes her art within a broader network of collaborations and influences. The second part, which will take place in the MACAAL museum in Marrakech, will bring together the traditional techniques that the artist has highlighted throughout her journey: rubber embroidery, Iraqi glasswork, ceramics, and jewellery-making. By doing so, she blurs the lines between her own work and that of her artisan collaborators.

In summary, Sara Ouhaddou’s double exhibition in Marrakech and Berlin, Display, represents a significant turning point in how we perceive the relationships between art and craftsmanship. By valuing the expertise of artisans while questioning the mechanisms of artistic creation, Ouhaddou offers an inspiring model for a future where collaboration and mutual respect take precedence over individualism—a celebration of the poetics of relation. This exhibition has been made in collaboration with: Omar and Ihya Abiad, Mina Hassani, Mohamed Maroufi, Fouzia and Saïd Yaagoub, Assabirate cooperative.

Display will be accompanied by a sonic response by Leila Bencharnia, sound artist, acousmatic interpreter, and musician. Bencharnia incorporates the language of fabrics and carpets of the Tamazight communities, using the mathematics of the African fractals present in the textiles. Deconstructing the Tamazight language becomes a starting point of symbols, textures, colors and shapes. She works on an archive which sees the mathematics of fabrics as a language reproducible in musical scores, interacting with Sara Ouhaddou’s proposition for this exhibition.

The exhibition will open on the occasion of Berlin Art Week 2024.

Curators: Meriem Berrada & Alya Sebti