Fez — Marrakech is hosting a new contemporary art project that bridges ritual, memory, and collective experience through a deeply rooted Moroccan lens. Titled “Paths of Rituals,” the exhibition runs from February 6 to April 6 across two cultural spaces in the city, offering visitors an immersive encounter with art inspired by Sufism and popular spiritual practices.
Led by the Wujud Collective, the project brings together four Moroccan artists trained at the École des Beaux-Arts of Tetouan. Their shared background informs a body of work that draws on spiritual gestures, sound, and embodied memory as artistic material, rather than treating art as a fixed or purely visual object.
Art as ritual rather than representation
Curated by Ramia Beladel, “Paths of Rituals” intentionally moves away from conventional exhibition formats. The curatorial approach emphasizes action over display, positioning artistic gestures as living acts rather than symbolic representations. According to the project’s statement, the works aim to reactivate artifacts and gestures by reintroducing them into contemporary ritual contexts.
This approach reflects a broader philosophy shared by the Wujud Collective, whose practice engages with Moroccan Sufi traditions such as Hadra, circular movement, repetition, and sound. Within the exhibition, rhythm becomes a form of language, while the body functions as an archive carrying memory and transmission.
Two spaces, one dialogue
The exhibition unfolds across Andrade Studio and Da Zwina, two distinct yet complementary spaces in Marrakech. Andrade Studio hosts large-scale installations, visual works, video pieces, and sound sculptures, creating an environment focused on material and sensory immersion.
Da Zwina, by contrast, functions as a living space designed for performances, encounters, and guided activities. The venue encourages direct interaction between artists and audiences, reinforcing the project’s emphasis on exchange, presence, and collective participation.
Public programming includes an opening brunch on February 6 at Andrade Studio, as well as roundtable discussions and guided visits on February 7 and 8 at Da Zwina. These moments extend the exhibition beyond passive viewing, inviting audiences into dialogue with both the works and the ideas behind them.
Rooted in Moroccan spiritual heritage
The participating artists — Ramia Beladel, Ismail Ahendouz, Hamza Errachid Sfaret, and Etayeb Nadif — share a common interest in how spirituality and popular practices shape collective memory. Their work reflects an ongoing exploration of how traditional rituals can be reinterpreted within contemporary artistic language without losing their depth or emotional resonance.
Rather than offering explanations or narratives to decode, “Paths of Rituals” encourages visitors to experience and identify with the works intuitively. The project positions art as meditation, breath, and connection, emphasizing feeling over analysis.
The exhibition situates contemporary creation within living spiritual traditions, highlighting in the process how Moroccan cultural heritage continues to evolve and speak through new artistic forms. In doing so, “Paths of Rituals” adds to Marrakech’s role as a crossroads where history, spirituality, and contemporary expression meet, offering a space for reflection on how ritual still shapes collective and individual experience today.
