Original Story Published by: Jessica Klingelfuss for Wallpaper* Magazine
Photography by: Saad Alami
(Above) The Museum of African Contemporary Art Al Maaden (MACAAL) has launched in Marrakech.
The museum soft-launched to locals in 2016, opening its doors to global audiences in February 2018.
It’s a calculated move that’s paid off: nearly two years on, MACAAL impressed its first official flock of foreign visitors, as the international art community descended on the city for the inaugural Marrakech edition of 1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair.
At the helm of the museum are Moroccan art collectors and father-and-son duo Alami Lazraq and Othman Lazraq, who have given the building ‘a second life’. MACAAL is their latest philanthropic endeavour, forming part of their charitable association Fondation Alliances. Under the directorship of Othman, MACAAL brings the Lazraq family’s private collection of contemporary African art – amassed over the past 40 years – to a broader audience.
Founded in 2009, Fondation Alliances is backed by Moroccan real estate group Alliances Group. Beyond MACAAL, Fondation Alliances oversees three other not-for-profit initiatives including the Al Maaden Sculpture Park (inaugurated 2013); bi-annual photography award La Chambre Claire; and the Passerelles (‘Bridges’) programme, connecting young locals with contemporary art and design through workshops, classes and museum visits.
