February 26 to May 9, 2025 at ETH Zurich, Switzerland
Featuring works by M'barek Bouhchichi, Younes Ben Slimane, and Lungiswa Gqunta, among others, the exhibition is organized in collaboration with the Chair of History and Theory of Urban Design, Institute of Urban Landscape, ZHAW School of Architecture, Design and Civil Engineering, Memory of Modern Moroccan Architects, and Zamân Books & Curating. It will serve as a platform to discuss the capacities and challenges of the Afropolis, exploring not only the often overlooked history of these modern African cities but also shedding light on the complex and frequently contested urban realities they have created.
The Terra series is a continuation of Bouhchichi’s broader exploration of long-forgotten connections linking Southeastern Morocco with Northeastern Mali, including architectural and landscape patterns reminiscent of Amazigh and Saharan ecosystems and peoples. Produced in collaboration with communities of women weavers from the same area as the artist, these tapestries are made from traditionally handwoven wool fabric stained with henna. The use of natural colors and material, in harmony with the ecosystem of the Atlas Mountains, enhances the allegoric and abstract landscape seemingly depicted. These fluid and absorbing compositions, mounted on wooden stretchers like paintings on canvas, also engage in a specific dialogue with modernist shapes and architecture.
