Exhibitions

Index / Activities / Exhibitions / Hand over Hand: Crafts and design in Morocco

Hand over Hand: Crafts and design in Morocco

From March 03, 2023 until July 23, 2023Mondays through Sundays, from 10:00 a.m. to 800 p.m.
MADRID
Casa Árabe exhibition halls (at Calle Alcalá, 62). Mondays through Sundays, from 10:00 a.m. to 800 p.m. Free entry until the event’s capacity is reached.
In Spanish.

As of Friday, March 3, Casa Árabe will be showing this exhibition dedicated to Moroccan handicrafts at its Madrid headquarters. The exhibit was conceived with the cooperation of the Moroccan Embassy in Spain and La Maison de l’Artisan.

Throughout history, crafts have played a central role in Morocco. Including everything from tile decoration, or zellij, to leather tanning, as well as cabinetmaking, ceramics, embroidery and carpet weaving, handcrafted works form an integral part of everyday life in the country. Many specialized workshops remain active even today, perpetuating age-old knowledge by producing items which are both aesthetically pleasing and useful.

Wishing to convey the importance of documenting, safeguarding and spreading knowledge about artisanal activities inside the country, La Maison de l’Artisan has assisted many of these workshops and individuals on their journey. This agency within the Moroccan Ministry of Tourism, Crafts and Solidarity Economy was founded in 1957 with the goal of perpetuating the country’s knowledge about crafts, a task which it performs by supporting artisan communities in training individuals, as well as in producing and marketing their products. In response to the challenges of our times, the institution has also encouraged avant-garde proposals by designers and artists inspired by age-old craftsmanship, understanding that this is also a way to ensure its continuity.

Conceived by La Maison de l’Artisan, with the cooperation of Casa Arabe and the Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco in Spain, the exhibition Hand over Hand: Crafts and design in Morocco brings together historical objects from private collections, works of contemporary craftsmanship, and ultimately, art and design projects inspired by the forms and materials used in artisanal creation.

From a set of antique taajira embroideries, the leatherwork by Failiha Ameur Haddad, the damascene pieces by Hicham Essaidi and the ceramics by Poterie Serghini, along with the cutting-edge furnishings by Mouna Fassi and Younes Duret, the jewelry lines by Yelli and Dihyan, the caftans made by Amina Benmoussa and Fadila El Gadi, as well as the textile installation by Soumiya Jalal, Hand over Hand provides a broad overview of today’s crafts landscape in Morocco.

The exhibition can be seen at Casa Arabe’s headquarters in Madrid from March 2 to July 23, 2023.
Hand over Hand: Crafts and design in Morocco
Photo: La Maison de l’Artisan. Work by Fatima Zahra Akhamal from Corpus Design.

Related content

The Cultural Colors of Morocco

Casa Árabe and Innovarte, with the cooperation of the AECID, are presenting this exhibition, a chromatic tale built on the basis of personal viewpoints, trips back to the same place, photographic documentation and explorations of Morocco’s artisanal crafts network. It will be on display at Casa Arabe’s headquarters in Madrid as of March 3.
From March 3, 2023 until May 21, 2023 MADRID

Craftsmanship, design and colors of Morocco

On the occasion of the opening of the exhibitions Hand over Hand and The Cultural Colors of Morocco, Casa Árabe is organizing this round table discussion in Madrid on Thursday, March 2, with participation by Tarik Sedik, general director of La Maison de l’Artisan and Marga Crespo, director of Innovarte, with moderation by María Gómez López, assistant curator of both exhibitions.
March 2, 2023 MADRID

Workshop on tarz, the art of Moroccan embroidery

You can now sign up to participate in this workshop, which will be held on Friday, June 16. Participants will learn a technique deeply rooted in popular Moroccan culture, traditionally practiced by women. Buy your ticket online now!
June 16, 2023 MADRID