Ce qui s'oublie et ce qui reste - (What is forgotten and what remains)

Through the works of seventeen artists from Africa and its diasporas, Ce qui s’oublie et ce qui reste (What is forgotten and what remains) is an exhibition exploring the idea of transmission. What do we make of the act of entrusting another generation with a memory, the collection of personal memories, slices of a life built at home and abroad? Beyond traditions, rituals, and the transmission of knowledge and skills between generations, what are the dissemination channels of linguistic, political, spiritual and social ideas that shape our world view and enable us to become who we are?

Whether deliberate or unconscious, verbal or behavioural, the experience of transmission featured in this exhibition speaks to our innermost self in order to challenge the lens through which History is told. Unlike the colourful representations found in a supposedly African artistic production, Ce qui s’oublie et ce qui reste fluctuates between continuity and breaking points. It seeks to change preconceived notions of a visual identity linked to the African continent. Rather than building a uniform work, the artists create visual narratives, revealing their unique, multifaceted features and characteristics

For more information, visit the website of the Musée national de l'histoire de l'immigration.

Project participants:

General commissioner: Meriem Berrada, Musée d’Art Contemporain Africain Al Maaden (Morocco)
Associate commissioner: Isabelle Renard, Musée national de l'histoire de l'immigration (France)

Artistes : Amina Agueznay (Morocco), Ishola Akpo (Benin), Joel Andrianomearisoa (Madagascar/France), Sammy Baloji (Democratic Republic of Congo), Hicham Benohoud (Morocco), M’Barek Bouhchichi (Morocco), Frédéric Bruly-Bouabré (Ivory Coast), Emo de Medeiros (Benin/France), Badr El Hammami (Morocco), Abdessamad El Montassir (Morocco), Ymane Fakhir (Morocco), Meschac Gaba (Benin), Hamedine Kane (Mauritania/ Senegal), Anuar Khalifi (Morocco), Malik Nejmi (France/ Morocco), Btihal Remli (Morocco/ Germany), Zineb Sedira (France/RU/ Algeria), Lerato Shadi (South Africa/Germany)

About the Musée d’Art Contemporain Africain Al Maaden (MACAAL):

The Musée d’Art Contemporain Africain Al Maaden (MACAAL) of Marrakech is a not-for-profit, independent contemporary art museum dedicated to promoting African art. In acquiring and exhibiting the works of both established and emerging artists, the museum helps promote an understanding of contemporary African art and showcases the creative energy and cultural diversity that are the hallmark of Africa.

About the Musée national de l'histoire de l'immigration: 

The mission of the Musée national de l’histoire de l’immigration is to gather, safeguard, and showcase the history of immigration and to raise awareness and acknowledge the role played by immigrants in the construction of France. The museum collections contain tangible and intangible works which offer comparative views of history, anthropology and the arts to enable encounters between objects, documents, testimonies and contemporary creations.