Rabat hosts unprecedented exhibition of Benin’s contemporary art under the theme “from restitution to revelation”
The Mohammed VI Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Rabat hosts from January 18 to May 15, 2023 an exhibition of Benin’s contemporary art under the theme “Art of Benin yesterday and today: from restitution to revelation”.
The exhibition explores part of the history and heritage of Benin, will be an opportunity for art lovers to discover the contemporary creations of Beninese artists, whose works reveal a variety of textures and mediums, said Tuesday in Rabat, president of the National Museums Foundation (FNM), Mehdi Qotbi, at a news conference during the official inauguration of the exhibition.
The inauguration took place in the presence of Benin’s Minister of Tourism, Culture and Arts, Jean-Michel Abimbola, and several personalities from the political and cultural world of Morocco and Benin.
The exhibition, held following the personal agreement of the President of Benin, Patrice Talon, displays for the first time these contemporary art works outside their country of origin.
“Morocco is the first country to host this exhibition (…), Mehdi Qotbi said, adding that “the hosting of this exhibition in Rabat also reaffirms the place of the city as the African capital of culture.” “African culture is an important part of our identity, our history, but also our future”.
For his part, Jean-Michel Abimbola said that “the fact that this first itinerary of the Beninese exhibition takes place in Morocco echoes the will and commitment of King Mohammed VI in favor of art, culture and Africa.”
“We are therefore pleased to share this exhibition with the Kingdom of Morocco, which deploys all its diplomacy (…) to become a hub of cultural activity and puts culture at the heart of its public policies,” he said.
Abimbola stressed, in this sense, that Benin shows, through this exhibition, the diversity and richness of the contemporary art scene in Benin and its creators. “Visitors will admire a range of creations declined on various styles with materials from different spaces of life of artists,” he said.
