The Museum of African Contemporary Art Al Maaden (MACAAL) reopened its doors on February 2, 2025, with a new display of its permanent collection in a completely reimagined and renovated space. The exhibition is curated by Morad Montazami and Madeleine de Colnet for Zamân Books & Curating, in collaboration with MACAAL’s artistic director Meriem Berrada and scenographer Franck Houndégla.

This first permanent exhibition, titled Seven Contours, One Collection, inaugurate the new space dedicated to the collection, built over four decades by the Lazraq family.

Decolonize. Cohabit. Transcribe. Initiate.  Promise. Converge. Weave. These seven performative verbs invite visitors to actively engage with the newly redesigned and enriched exhibition spaces. Bringing together nearly 150 works from over 30 countries, this exhibition embodies the DNA of an institution—a pan-African, postcolonial, and emancipated museum—which, since its opening in 2016, has become a key reference on the global art scene.

This exhibition marks the unveiling of one of the rare modern and contemporary collections gathering artists from across the African continent. It actively reflects on the continent’s history and future, addressing its major social, economic, and ecological issues.

“This new journey and its specially designed spaces are envisioned as stopovers along a cosmopolitan and multifaceted voyage. Each stopover is expressed through an action verb, inviting us to push the boundaries of our imagination and forge connections. Each gallery, therefore, has its own thematic and scenographic universe.” – Morad Montazami

With 150 works on rotating display, including paintings, sculptures, textiles, photographs, installations, and multimedia creations, the exhibition highlights the cultural richness and creative energy of the African continent and its diaspora, from the last century to today. These works are drawn from MACAAL’s collection, managed by the Fondation Alliances, which includes over 2,000 pieces.

Visitors will discover both emerging and established artists, such as Salah El Mur, Hassan Hajjaj, Abdoulaye Konaté, Daniel Otero Torres, Chéri Samba, Malick Sidibé, Maya Inès Touam, Chris Soal, and Billie Zangewa, alongside pioneers of Moroccan modernism such as Farid Belkahia, Ahmed Cherkaoui, Jilali Gharbaoui, Mohamed Melehi, Chaïbia Talal, and Malika Agueznay.

Each gallery of the exhibition is designed in dialogue with a prominent intellectual connected to the African continent, such as Ariella Aïsha Azoulay, Dénètem Touam Bona, Seloua Luste Boulbina, Franck Hermann Ekra, Salima Naji, Rachid Mendjeli, and Nadia Yala Kisukidi, via exclusive video interviews.