The Imaginary Aquarium by Mohamed Fariji

Exhibition at Galerie Fatma Jellal

June 2014

 

Mohamed Fariji presents his project The Imaginary Aquarium, which takes the form of a collection of objects, posters, snow globes, pinball machines, jigsaw puzzles, maps, real and fictional archives, reproductions and other original installations, collected and created by the artist around the imaginary world of the former Casablanca Aquarium, closed down in the 1980s.

 

His proposal for an imaginary museum, at the crossroads of symbols of the city of Casablanca and Moroccan aquatic fauna, is built on the void left by the closure of the aquarium, and on possible stories for the past and future of the site.

 

Through his aesthetic investigation, the artist sets out to explore possible ways of converting abandoned public spaces, and to assert the right of local residents, who are often intimately attached to these places of memory, to participate in their future.

 

Mohamed Fariji's Imaginary Aquarium, imbued with nostalgia and playful interaction with the visitor, questions the complexity of the relationship between citizens and power within the city.

 

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Curated by Léa Morin

This exhibition was supported by the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture (AFAC)