Meriem Berrada was instrumental in the opening of Museum of African Contemporary Art Al Maaden (MAACAL) in 2016 and became its artistic director in 2018. Along the way, she’s used her platform at the Lazraq family’s pioneering Moroccan institution to launch initiatives such as a photography competition and a training programme for young cultural professionals and has consistently mentored emerging talents through projects like NOOR Photo and Duvangu residency in Gabon. As MACAAL reopens during 1-54 Marrakech, we spend some time with this impressive woman to learn more about its inaugural collection exhibition ‘Seven Contours, One Collection’ and her own independent curatorial practice.

What can visitors expect from the reopening of MACAAL?

Visitors are in for something special. The museum has been completely reimagined and is now a permanent home for its incredible collection of modern and contemporary African art. ‘Seven Contours, One Collection’ features over 150 works (out of the collection’s wider 2000+) from the last century to today, including everything from painting and sculpture to photography and textiles. We've also added some new features like annual site-specific installations and an Artist Room for solo and group exhibitions, starting with ‘Display’ by Sara Ouhaddou.

Our commitment to education and accessibility is still at the heart of MACAAL. We’ve created new spaces for visitors to learn about Africa's cultural richness, like a Timeline Room that highlights key moments in African art and history, and a media library full of video, sound and performance art by African artists from the 1990s onward.

What is the exhibition telling us about the art scene in Africa?

‘Seven Contours, One Collection’ is a dynamic exploration of contemporary African art, offering a vivid picture of the continent’s artistic production. It’s organised into seven themed galleries, covering themes including decolonisation, ecology, spirituality, migration and identity, and provides a diverse portrait of African artistic practices over the last century.

The exhibition features both established and emerging artists including Malick Sidibé, M’barek Bouhchichi, Farid Belkahia, Kapwani Kiwanga, Mohamed Melehi and Josèfa Ntjam, showcasing how contemporary African art draws from tradition while embracing bold experimentation. It also challenges the historical narratives and Western categorisations of art, addressing urgent global issues like environmental change and colonial legacies. And the works will rotate to continually introduce fresh pieces. We hope it reflects the richness of the contemporary art scenes from Africa and its diasporas, and how its artists contribute to a whole range of conversations in the world today.

Which pieces in the collection are you most excited about having on show?

I have a deep admiration for Billie Zangewa’s sharp compositions, Amina Agueznay’s textile geographies and the adobe installation by Salima Naji. However, what excites me even more are the dialogues sparked between the artworks – the connections forged by Morad Montazami and Madeleine de Colnet, the curators of Zamân Books & Curating. For instance, the striking juxtaposition of Louis Endres’ orientalist drawing with Nidhal Chamekh’s layered archival work or the compelling dialogue between Hicham Gardaf’s photography and Mariam Abouzid Souali’s drawing.

What can you tell us about the new space for site-specific installations?

This is such an exciting new initiative. It gives artists the chance to dream big with immersive works that really interact with the museum space. We have two main areas – our central atrium and staircase – where these installations will be set up yearly. The pieces will tie into the themes in ‘Seven Contours, One Collection’ and also reflect on the museum’s architecture and cultural context.

Our first two artists are Salima Naji and Aïcha Snoussi. Naji’s piece, Dans les bras de la terre (In the Arms of the Earth) (2025), uses local materials like adobe and rammed earth to explore heritage and sustainability. Snoussi’s Cyborg Archaeology (2025), crafts an archaeological fiction centered on the rediscovery of a queer civilization along the African coast. Blending science fiction, archaeology and politics, the work unfolds as an expansive, site-specific drawing that stretches across the walls, inviting viewers to reflect on identity, power dynamics and the ways histories are constructed and reclaimed.

It’s all about pushing boundaries, supporting contemporary talent, and creating unforgettable experiences for both new and returning visitors. In future, I would love to see Otobong Nkanga’s powerful narratives or the multilayered works of Nadia Kaabi-Linke to unfold. However, what is fundamental to me is the ability of the artists’ proposals to engage with the space and the surrounding rooms of these commissioned areas.

What makes the Marrakech art scene so special?

Marrakech has a unique energy – it’s a place where the old and new blend in together, where traditional craftsmanship meets the contemporary. This gives the city all these cultural layers, which attracts artists from across Africa (and beyond) to come and create, experiment and collaborate. We’ve sought to evoke this throughout the collection display, with many of the works resulting from collaborations between artists and local artisans that MACAAL has always sought to facilitate and promote.

The location of Marrakech also enables both MACAAL and the wider city to offer a global gateway to the continent’s art scene. In our collection exhibition, the room titled PROMISE pays tribute to this, spotlighting the city’s historic influence on western and African artists: from Daoud Aoulad-Syad to Hassan Hajjaj.

What’s been the guiding principle of your career so far?

I would say that, although it wasn’t conscious at first, my guiding principle has always been to listen – truly listen – to artists, to privilege long-term relationships over one-off projects, and to stay connected to audiences by regularly immersing myself in exhibition spaces and workshops to feel how participants engage. I remind myself constantly of the essence that motivates my work: for the emotion it brings, for the deeper understanding of the feelings that move through me, and for the extraordinary people I have the privilege to meet along the way.