ABOUT THE EXHIBITION

In February, Dar Bellarj transforms to welcome Archaeologies, the first exhibition in the Architecture(s) cycle initiated by Maha El Madi. Conceived as a journey through the material, historical, and affective layers of the city, the exhibition brings together artists and researchers from Morocco and beyond.At the starting point of the project, archaeological excavations carried out beneath Dar Bellarj in search of traces of one of the earliest Almoravid mosques in Marrakech become a powerful symbolic and narrative gesture. Stratigraphy—whether archaeological, social, urban, or affective—emerges here as a way of reading the present and questioning how cities, architectures, and memories are built through successive layers.Curated by Laila Hida and Inès Yahiaoui, and with scenography by Sara Ayoub, the exhibition explores different ways of inhabiting the world: micro-architectures, affective landscapes, invisible infrastructures, archives, and recomposed materials. Familiar objects, urban fragments, everyday gestures, and speculative forms come together in a collective inquiry where matter becomes a carrier of stories, tensions, and possible futures.Conceived as a contemporary excavation, Archaeologies transforms Dar Bellarj into a laboratory for research, creation, and documentation. The exhibition invites visitors to explore a constantly evolving territory, where past, present, and future enter into dialogue through the works and narratives presented.