Significant Art Event in Rabat

Photographic art has been honored in Rabat from March 29th to June 30th, 2021, and the exceptional nature of this exhibition lies in its predominantly “off-site” presence, offering a wide audience unusual and realistic images of an equally exceptional event—the pandemic that has disrupted the entire world.

The exhibition takes place in various locations throughout the city, outdoors on the fences of the botanical test garden, in front of the French Institute, on the esplanade of Fort Rottembourg, and indoors within the premises of the National Museum of Photography. It is through the ambiguous title “At a Good Distance” that viewers are invited to reflect on the reasonable yet inhumane choices of the new sanitary measures, which care for individuals by confining and isolating them in their protective bubbles.

And it is precisely this solitude that the photographers have captured, such as that of a child in a street in China facing the outline of squares suggesting a trivial game. Between reportage photography, informing the viewer of an unavoidable reality, and poetic photography, conveying the incongruous beauty of a moment, the images strike a chord with the sensitivity of those who discover not only the richness of heritage but also the tragedy of an event.

Thus, the artistic work of the photographer reveals the tragic irony of this beauty. The dazzling colors of a carnival in Colombia testify to this miraculous sense of distance. However, we also perceive another landscape, one seen through the prism of medical workers, as illustrated by a shot capturing the nighttime disinfection operation of a Brazilian city.

Reality blends with the unreal in a situation that appears similar to that of an extraterrestrial being. The omnipresence of this medicalized world reminds us of the imminent possibility of death, which is why we unconsciously distance ourselves from it and relegate it to the realm of another planet.

The exhibition targets the powerlessness of our aseptic civilization. However, art reveals its power by embracing all perspectives. In addition to solitude and the heritage of each culture, the photographer showcases human resilience in the face of a system of deprivation.

The representation of protesters in France, rallying against the closure of non-essential businesses, carries a striking dramatic impact. Similarly, the image of an indigenous person sitting on a tire with a road in the background expresses their resistance to deforestation in the Amazon.

Do not these and many other equally powerful and symbolic images proclaim the value of art and culture, open to all audiences in the streets or within a museum? Is the creative talent of each photographer not capable of engaging the conscience and sensitivity of citizens? It is up to other initiatives to perpetuate this commendable experience, with its essential mission of education and growth. The significance of this exhibition lies in the extent of its influence, as it will expand to all cities in Morocco in the coming months.