Marriage is a pivotal moment in the intimate and social lives of women and men around the world. In the Maghreb, this event is celebrated with great pomp because it is an occasion to form a community by gathering around a collective joy. One of the words that designates marriage is moreover farah, "joy" in Arabic.
To discover: costumes and adornments never shown in France
The exhibition is organised around heritage works and will present a selection of around forty costumes and adornments never before presented in France, drawn from Moroccan, Algerian and Tunisian collections. These exceptional pieces, dating from the 19th to the 20th century, celebrate the bride and the women around her while highlighting national and regional specificities, the richness of heritages and the practices shared notably between Muslims and Jews. The evolution of the costume, the persistence and specificity of rituals, the symbolism and the prophylactic aspect are all subjects addressed.
Placing at the heart of the discussion the bride but also the role of women during these celebrations – from assembling the trousseau to making the pieces or accompanying the bride – the exhibition also seeks to confront these heritage works with the perspectives of artists and thus highlight contemporary social persistences or changes.
The floor goes to 27 contemporary artists
In order to capture the essence of these festivities in all their diversity, the exhibition, mirroring these rare and exceptional collections, gives the floor to twenty-seven contemporary artists, mainly women, originating from Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco and their diasporas, who cast their subjective gaze on this important moment in social and intimate life, and lead us through the codified stages of marriage and help us understand what these ritual festivities say today about the societies that practise them.
The exhibition Vive la mariée!, organised at the IMA as part of the Méditerranée Season implemented by the Institut Français, explores marriage as a social ritual in constant evolution. Some artists celebrate the traditions, the moments of collective joy that these festivities allow, and question the heritage of these traditions and their survivals. Others place certain marriage practices in perspective with the societies that practise them and the ideologies they convey.
Combining heritage objects, artistic creations, archives and an immersive scenography to enhance the material and immaterial dimensions (dances, music, costumes, food…) of this cultural heritage, the exhibition will be accompanied by a rich cultural and mediation programme, opened by a great parade under the artistic direction of Mohamed Bourouissa, the festive procession "Raconte-moi ton mariage".
MORE INFORMATION ON THE FESTIVE PROCESSION "RACONTE-MOI TON MARIAGE"