OPENING WEEK
Wednesday, October 7, 2026
16:00 | 2026 Call for Entries — Laureates Showcase
Venue: Meydene.
A cinematic screening of selected works by the laureates of the 2026 Call for Entries: Lys Arango · Jean-Marc Caimi & Valentina Piccinni · Sabrina Charehbili · Antonio Denti · Fiora Garenzi · Francisco Gonzalez Camacho · Birte Kaufmann · Vladimir Karamazov · Neil Kramer · Catherine Le Scolan-Quéré · Pierpaolo Mittica · Sarah Mei Herman · Michael James O'Brien · Ana Palacios · Arthur Perrin · Cesar Rodriguez.
Guest Spotlight: Carte Blanche to Valencia Photo Festival
A special curated selection presented by the Valencia Photo Festival, curated by Nicolas Llorens.
18:00 | Grand Opening Night & Vernissage
Venue: Palais Bahia.
The official inauguration of the 6th edition of the Rencontres de la Photographie de Marrakech. Join us for an exclusive evening in the presence of the press, followed by the unveiling of the festival's flagship exhibitions:
Crossed Gazes: China/Morocco — QI Hao & Noureddine El Warari
This unprecedented exhibition marks the restitution and concluding presentation of an international artistic exchange program of rare intensity. Born of a cross-cultural immersion, the project first led Moroccan photographer artists to the heart of China, exploring the contemporary dynamism and multimillennial heritage of the cities of Ningbo and Shanghai. In mirror fashion, two Chinese artists from Ningbo were welcomed in Morocco to cast their singular gaze upon the landscapes, light, and daily life of the kingdom. Held within the majestic architectural setting of the Bahia Palace, this display brings to light the works born from these reciprocal journeys. The exhibition transcends cultural borders to offer a captivating visual dialogue in which contemporary Chinese and Moroccan aesthetics resonate harmoniously. Through these crossed lenses, the journey explores mutual influences, territorial dynamics, and the poetic perspectives of leading artists, offering visitors a renewed reading of otherness and territory.
Exhibition curator: Abdellah Oustad.
Silk Road, Road of the Heart — Cynthia Cooper
Born from the encounter between the world of fashion and a passion for travel, Cynthia Cooper embraced photography late in life, making her Leica the privileged tool of a humanist quest. Guided by chance and soul connections, she travels the world to build what she calls her "family of memory." From the Black Sea to the passes of Kyrgyzstan, she traverses the Silk Roads alongside her daughter Pia, exploring both Borneo and the oases of Rajasthan. In 2008, she immersed herself in the Sahara to document the literary memory and peoples of Timbuktu. But it was China that became her greatest love. From 1981 onward, she traveled the country, from the Gobi and Taklamakan deserts to the banks of the Yangtze. Settled in Shanghai in 1994, she co-authored with her daughter the book Shanghai Xiaoxin (2000), a precious testimony to the city's transformation. Between expeditions to Tibet and poetic quests, her work celebrates the beauty of friendships that endure through time.
Exhibition curator: Pia Cooper.
Thursday, October 8, 2026
10:00 – 13:00 | Professional Portfolio Reviews
Venue: Musée de l'art Culinaire Marocain
Curated one-to-one portfolio review sessions connect emerging photographic talents with an esteemed jury of international image professionals, curators, educators, and festival directors, featuring Nicolas Llorens (Director of Valencia Photo) Vilma Dobilaitė (Artistic Director of Valencia Photo), Nicola Fioravanti (award-winning photographer), and Noureddine El Warari (photographer and educator).
16:00 | Exhibition Premiere followed by an exclusive reception : Silent Synchrony — Priamo Tolu
Venue: Sofitel Hotel
Between 1983 and 1993, Priamo Tolu photographed some of the greatest names in international music: Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, James Brown, Miriam Makeba, Ornette Coleman and many others. Silent Synchrony was born during concerts, yet looks at them differently: Tolu approaches faces and silhouettes, isolating them to capture moments of concentration, listening and abandon. Through black and white and the telephoto lens, his images seem to withdraw from the time of the performance. The photograph does not narrate the stage: it retains a fragment, leaving the viewer to complete it. It is in this distance between image and sound that the photographs become poetic: though silent, they seem to hold a voice, a musical phrase, the breath before a note. Music is not represented but reactivated by the viewer's gaze.
Exhibition curator: Antonio Sanna.
19:00 | Official Partnership Signing Ceremony & Institute Presentation
Venue: Yves Saint Laurent Museum
This event marks the official signing of the partnership agreement between Les Rencontres de la Photographie de Marrakech and the Istituto Europeo Studi (IES), alongside a dedicated presentation of the Institute. The ceremony will be attended by the IES delegation, representing the institution: Massimo Pili, Monica Mandis, Maria Teresa Coradduzza, Bruno Manca, Giulio Casu, and Carla Cocco.
19:30 | Special Evening: Book Premiere & Signing
Venue: Yves Saint Laurent Museum
In partnership with the Istituto Italiano di Cultura Rabat
A prestigious evening dedicated to the launch of Palaces of the Italian Institutions in Tangier. The event features a visual projection of selected architectural works, a conversation with renowned architectural photographer Massimo Listri and the exhibition curators, concluding with a book signing and cocktail reception.
Friday, October 9, 2026
10:00 – 13:00 | Portfolio Reviews (Day 2)
Venue: Musée de l'art Culinaire Marocain
Curated one-to-one portfolio review sessions connect emerging photographic talents with an esteemed jury of international image professionals, curators, educators, and festival directors, featuring Nicolas Llorens (Director of Valencia Photo) Vilma Dobilaitė (Artistic Director of Valencia Photo), Nicola Fioravanti (award-winning photographer), and Noureddine El Warari (photographer and educator).
18:00 | Exhibition Premiere: Massimiliano Gatti
Venue: Meydene
Opening of Massimiliano Gatti's solo exhibition, followed by a reception. Massimiliano Gatti's exhibition explore the relationship between historical memory and the present, and how video content is distributed on YouTube. It juxtaposes the author's old photos of Palmyra—the Syrian archaeological site damaged under ISIS occupation—with frames from ISIS propaganda videos documenting the destruction of archaeological sites. Some images show the imposing architecture of ancient Palmyra; others appear to be simple clouds but are actually smoke columns rising after explosions.
Exhibition curator: Massimiliano Gatti.
19:00 | Finalists Showcase & Moroccan Diaspora Spotlight
Venue: Meydene
A visual celebration of the shortlisted artists for the 2026 Call for Entries:
B.A. Van Sise · Hiba Baddou · Jaimy Gail · Ali Berrada · Daniel Holfeld · Lola Akinmade Åkerström · Joerg Karrenbauer · Anya Tsaruk · Alan Gignoux · Aldo Feroce · Marianna Mainenti · Selma Sadkane · Lien Botha · Eleonore Demey · Nicholas Knösch · Paula Rae Gibson · Yasmine Laraqui · Yasmine Hatimi · Said Hammouch · Anne Mocaër · Olga Zaverzhenets · Elise Wouters · Kristoffer Axén · Marie Moroni · Sinziana Velicescu · Najwa Benchebab · Claire Corrion · Eli Hartman · Slava Lyu-fa · Anton Zdanovich · Sofia Tsoumaki · Lidewij Mulder · Vedad Divovic · Ngadi Smart · Marco Serventi.
Moroccan Diaspora Spotlight
A dedicated showcase celebrating the vibrant contemporary photographic creation of the Moroccan diaspora, highlighting artists shaping the global visual narrative.
20:30 | Gala Closing Night & Awards Ceremony
Venue: Meydene
The prestigious presentation of the winner of the Yzza Slaoui Discovery Prize.
Saturday, October 10, 2026
16:00 | Tombouctou — Cynthia Cooper
Venue: Musée de l'art Culinaire Marocain
In Tombouctou, Cynthia Cooper explores memory, landscape, and the layered narratives of the African diaspora. Using the historic Malian city as a metaphor for the architecture of memory, her photographic and mixed-media works blur the boundaries between the documented and the imagined. Here, the landscape operates as a living archive. Ultimately, the exhibition offers a poetic cartography of belonging and resilience, inviting viewers to trace the invisible threads that connect intimate personal histories to the enduring legacies of the world.
Exhibition curator : Pia Cooper.
19:00 | Exhibitions Premiere — Graziano Arici & Noureddine El Warari
Venue: Mövenpick Marrakech
Bellissima — Graziano Arici
This exhibition brings together black-and-white photographs of the starlets and leading ladies who defined the cinema and culture of the 1950s and 1960s. The photographs capture a fascinating contrast: on one side, aspiring starlets hoping to catch a photographer's eye and seize a moment of glory; on the other, women who already knew they were destined to make history — Sofia Loren, Claudia Cardinale, Brigitte Bardot, Jeanne Moreau, and Maria Callas. Together, these portraits offer a glimpse into an era when image, ambition, and stardom intertwined — and when a single photograph could change a life forever.
Exhibition curator: Abdellah Oustad.
Jazz — Noureddine El Warari
Photography and Jazz go together. One cannot be separate from the
other. El Warari had the honor to cover many musicians throughout the years.
And he was never a fan of photographing musicians in focus and frozen
intime and space. Instead he was always compelled to make the images as
continuous as Sound. Jazz Music falls in that category encompassing composition, light and movement of musicians in action! All that comes from understanding rhythm and as it is imperative to be in tune with it and be part of what ’s going on in order to bring sensibility to his photography and the rendering of music he was
hearing.
Exhibition curator : Noureddine El Warari.
