Art Afternoons
Art Afternoons is a relaxed, informal meet-up in Casablanca for anyone who enjoys exploring art and meeting new people.
Together we'll visit a current exhibition, spend time looking at the work, then head to a nearby café for coffee and conversation. I'll share a little background to help spark discussion, but the emphasis is on curiosity, questions and enjoying different perspectives rather than a formal guided tour.
Whether you've lived in Casablanca for years or have just arrived, you're very welcome to join us.
What to expect
Free to attend – Everyone is welcome.
Around 2 hours – Approximately 45–60 minutes in the gallery, followed by coffee and conversation.
Easy walking – The cafés are all within a short walk of the galleries.
English conversation – A relaxed way to meet people from a range of backgrounds.
No art knowledge required – Just curiosity and an interest in looking at art together.
Coffee is optional – Join us for the exhibition only, or stay afterwards for a drink and conversation. (Food and drinks are at your own expense.)
As new dates are scheduled, I'll add them to this page. You can also join the Art Afternoons WhatsApp group to receive updates about upcoming events
COMING UP
Saturday 14 November
Art Afternoon: A Day Trip to Rabat
November's Art Afternoon will be a little different! We're planning a day trip to Rabat to visit two galleries: the Mohammed VI Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMVI) and Villa des Arts Rabat.
We'll have time to explore two exhibitions at the MMVI, stop for lunch at MAEYA Brunch & Coffee, and then continue to Villa des Arts for a second gallery visit.
You're welcome to travel with me on the train from Casablanca, or make your own way to Rabat and join us at any point in the day's schedule.
Schedule
9:30–10:42
Train from Casa Port to Rabat Ville
11:15–13:15
Visit to the Mohammed VI Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMVI)
(There is a café and gift shop on site if you need a break.)
13:30–15:00
Lunch at MAEYA Brunch & Coffee
15:15–16:15
Visit to Villa des Arts Rabat
16:56–18:17
Train from Rabat Ville to Casa Port
Mohammed VI Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMVI)
Exhibition 1: Horizons in Motion
This exhibition maps a century of Moroccan visual arts, from 1920 to 2020. Through around 200 paintings and sculptures, it traces the country's political and social transformations.
Exhibition 2: A Memory in Motion
A commemorative photographic exhibition bringing together archival imagery and artistic photography to mark the 50th anniversary of the Green March.
Entry fee: 30 DH for Moroccan residents (please bring your CIN) / 60 DH for foreign visitors
Location:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/de9UaVQU3UrRXw7J8
Lunch: MAEYA – Brunch & Coffee
A chance to take a break, enjoy lunch and have a chat before our afternoon gallery visit.
Location:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/faMSfGqKHrvBBTZm9
Website:
https://www.maeyarabat.com/
Villa des Arts Rabat
Exhibition: Trilogy
Trilogy One features the three winners of the 2025 AL MADA – ÉMERGENCE Prize: Abdelkrim Largou, Soukaina Bouali and Mehdi Ait El Mallali.
Entry fee: Free
Location:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/TEgkw6f6ipUJCW9g8
Getting there and letting me know
Train tickets
Train tickets can be booked in advance through the ONCF website (if the website is working!) or purchased at the station.
If buying your ticket at the station, please allow plenty of time to arrive, buy your ticket and find your platform before departure.
I'll be travelling second class, but you're very welcome to book a first-class ticket if you prefer.
Let me know if you're coming
I've created an event in the Art Afternoons WhatsApp group. Please RSVP there so I know who's planning to join us and can keep track of numbers for the day.
Looking forward to a lovely day exploring Rabat together!
Past Art Afternoons
Wednesday 14 October
Gallery: Alma Art Gallery
Exhibition: Siempre volver (Always Return) by Carla Querejeta-Roca
Time: 17:30–19:30
Meeting point: At the gallery
https://maps.app.goo.gl/o8UcqXF8GpUPCUGc7
Coffee afterwards: O’BEN coffee shop (approximately 3 minutes' walk)
https://maps.app.goo.gl/jyRoGE1a6qfCKv7U8
About the exhibition
This month we will visit Siempre volver (Always Return) by Carla Querejeta-Roca. The exhibition explores Carla’s relationship with Tangier, a city with which she feels deeply connected.
The works are multilayered, building the substrate for the images from reclaimed or deconstructed materials that have a history. This destruction becomes a transformation, and the expressive and impressionistic images either come together or fall apart depending on the distance from which they are viewed.
More information:
Wednesday 16 September
Gallery: Villa des Arts Casablanca
Exhibition: De fil en mémoire by Soumiya Jalal
Time: 17:00–19:00
Meeting point: At the gallery
https://maps.app.goo.gl/zg5Dsh1ccNPv4JcTA
Coffee afterwards: June (approximately 2 minutes' walk)https://maps.app.goo.gl/t6J8DX7R9FJf5Jvm8
About the exhibition
We’ll be visiting De fil en mémoire, an exhibition of large-scale abstract textile works by Soumiya Jalal. Using wool, hemp, sisal and copper wire, Jalal explores memory and the passage of time through repetition, texture and light, transforming simple materials into immersive installations.
More information:
Saturday 22 August
Gallery: Museum of Photography and Visual Arts
Exhibition: CASA
Time: 16:00–18:00
Meeting point: Out the front of the gallery https://maps.app.goo.gl/x5ka4fhKjAaohBJf8
Coffee afterwards: Sqala (approximately 3 minutes' walk)
https://maps.app.goo.gl/219BiJNS5jxapPVw5
About the exhibition
Opening the new Museum of Photography and Visual Arts, CASA brings together Moroccan and international photographers to explore the many faces of Casablanca.
Rather than presenting a single portrait of Casablanca, CASA offers a collection of different perspectives that reflect the complexity and diversity of the city and the people who call it home.
As the museum's inaugural exhibition, CASA is a fitting introduction to a new cultural space dedicated to photography and visual storytelling in Morocco.
More information:
Wednesday 22 July
Gallery: Loft Art Gallery
Exhibition: Constructed Realities
Time: 16:00–18:00
Meeting point: Out the front of the gallery https://maps.app.goo.gl/GigNy2h6iTkrXmLG8
Coffee afterwards: Les Soeurettes (approximately 5 minutes' walk)
https://maps.app.goo.gl/ao7cjvwJEKrQajMTA.
About the exhibition
Bringing together works by Mous Lamrabat, Nicolas Henry, M'hammed Kilito, Joana Choumali, Hiba Baddou and Mustapha Azeroual, Constructed Realities explores photography as a space between document and fiction, observation and reconstruction.
More information:
Wednesday 8 July
Gallery: Galerie NADAR
Exhibition: NADARI
Time: 16:00–18:00
Meeting point: Out the front of the gallery https://maps.app.goo.gl/tpUovFeGzWMkcWJs9
Coffee afterwards: JUJ Café (approximately 3 minutes' walk)
https://maps.app.goo.gl/8RBspxRNukm19uap6
About the exhibition
NADARI brings together work by Sabelle Bauer Akdime, Issam Chorrib, Abderahmane Doukkane, Mehdi Gharnit, Jamal Hammami, Yasmine Hatimi, Charaf Lahib, Mehdy Mariouch, Daoud Aoulad Syad and Jean-Michel Zurfluh. Moving between observation, memory and interpretations of reality, the exhibition invites us to consider how photography can shape the way we experience and understand the world.
More information:
