This exhibition, presented by Alserkal Arts Foundation, retraces the life and career of Mohamed Melehi the painter, photographer, muralist, graphic designer, art teacher, and cultural activist.

Mohamed Melehi was regarded as a major figure for postcolonial Moroccan art and within the history of transnational modernism. This retrospective exhibition, presented by Alserkal Arts Foundation, brought a pioneering artist’s multi-faceted career to life and gave UAE audiences a unique insight into a practice that feels critical and relevant for contemporary concerns in this region. It also told the story of the Casablanca Art School during its most radical period, when Melehi taught there between 1964-1969.

About Mohamed Melehi

Mohamed Melehi is regarded as a major figure for postcolonial Moroccan art and within the history of transnational modernism.

Mohamed Melehi helped to develop a form of modernism that was deeply rooted in local Afro-Berber arts and crafts. “My question was,” he said, “what could we find in Morocco that was an expression of Modernism?” With this in mind, Melehi sought to promote an interconnection between painting, the graphic arts, architecture and design and took art to the streets and into everyday life.

Image Credits:

Mohamed Melehi inspired mural in Alserkal Avenue_Photography by Seeing Things_Courtesy Alserkal AvenueNew Waves3_Photography by Angelo Jandri_Courtesy Alserkal Avenue
NWMM8_Photography by Mustafa Aboubacker for Seeing Things_Courtesy Alserkal Avenue
Untitled, 1975, Cellulose paint on wood, Private collection