Under the sea and in ancient memory, Mohamed Fariji is welcoming us to an exhibition that he calls “a love letter to a forgotten space.”
Marrakech – Casablanca is a city that never stops moving, constantly evolving, building, and rebuilding. But in all this change, some places slip through the cracks of memory.
One of those places? The once-beloved Casablanca Aquarium, now abandoned but not entirely lost. This historic building has been closed since the 80’s, but one Moroccan artist – Mohamed Fariji – refuses to let it be forgotten.
From February 18 to March 22, at L’Atelier 21, he’s inviting us to step into his vision with “L’Aquarium imaginaire, episode #2” — an exhibition that doesn’t just look at the past but asks: what if we could bring it back?
The aquarium wasn’t just a place to see fish; it was a one-of-a-kind landmark in North Africa, adorned with breathtaking ceramic murals celebrating marine biodiversity.
These murals, though hidden away, still exist.
For years, Fariji has been hunting down traces of this forgotten treasure, researching its history, and imagining a future where it can be revived.
“Since 2012, I’ve been digging through archives, searching for what time has erased,” he stated in a press release.
“This project isn’t just about an abandoned place – it’s about recreating what was lost and bringing it back into public consciousness.”
Fariji’s work goes beyond nostalgia. He’s meticulously restoring and reinterpreting the original ceramics, bringing them back into the light.
His goal? To spark a conversation about Casablanca’s urban memory and how its past can shape its future.
“This exhibition is a love letter to a forgotten space,” he said.
“Let’s imagine together — what if the Aquarium could become a place of art, memory, and hope once again?”
With a career spanning prestigious institutions from Rabat to Denmark to the UAE, Fariji has made it his mission to preserve lost histories through art.
Now, he’s turning his attention to one of Casablanca’s most overlooked landmarks, proving that even in a city always looking forward, some memories deserve to resurface.
