Due to the interruption of its incubation programme, caused by the coronavirus pandemic (Covid-19), the 5th International Biennale of Casablanca has made the decision to postpone its opening. The biennale will now take place from 24 May to 1 August 2021 (with opening days and professional preview from 20 to 23 May). For the first time, the biennale will also extend its exhibitions programme to the Essaouira region where its Centre for Contemporary Art and Ifitry artists residency are located.

The unprecedented situation currently affecting society on a global scale calls for new reflections on our common experience and our relationship to each other. This context, in which the role of art is all the more important, invites us to interrogate the modes of artistic production in relation to ecosystems that are both local and global. It also compels us to reassess the formats for disseminating contemporary art and engaging with our audiences in times of uncertainty.

In this respect, new curated content will be launched on the biennale website in May. Participatory activities will resume as soon as possible with Ifitry residencies and an exhibition at the Centre for Contemporary Art. A pre-programme will take place in Casablanca on the initial dates of 24 September to 1 November 2020, subject to modification.

This new format is developed by the biennale team who is delighted to announce among the new partners Hyatt Regency Casablanca that will host a temporary exhibition at the Hyatt Arena, and DJ and sound art performances at the Black House club; and Institut français de Casablanca, with which the biennale is preparing a multidisciplinary programme combining mural intervention, video art projections, art performance, DJ set and a conference.

Entitled The Words Create Images, the 5th International Biennale of Casablanca is curated by Christine Eyene, artistic director, with associate curators Soukaina Aboulaoula and Cindy Sissokho.

Supported by Fondation Maroc Premium, this edition of the biennale is organised in collaboration with: Making Histories Visible (University of Central Lancashire); New Art Exchange, Africa / UK: Transforming Art Ecologies and Here, There & Everywhere programmes supported by Arts Council England; Frac Réunion (Fonds régional d’art contemprain); Institut français; Phileas – A Fund for Contemporary Art and more partners to be announced in the coming months.