Art Explora Festival and Its Floating Museum Set Sail for Tangir and Rabat This Fall 2024
The Art Explora Festival, a free and traveling cultural event, will make its way to Tangier from September 20 to 29 and Rabat from October 11 to 17, 2024. This journey is organized in collaboration with curator Laila Hida and her assistant Inès Yahiaoui, alongside Le 18, a multidisciplinary cultural venue based in Marrakech. The festival aims to provide accessible, immersive art experiences to audiences throughout the Mediterranean.
A Unique Cultural Voyage
Spearheaded by the Art Explora Foundation, this festival embarks on a global journey aboard a floating museum, offering innovative artistic and cultural experiences free of charge. Following successful stops in Malta and Venice, the festival was officially launched in Marseille last June, drawing nearly 60,000 visitors. From now until autumn 2026, the festival will visit 20 ports across 15 countries in the Mediterranean, engaging artists, curators, institutions, associations, and NGOs in reimagining the cultural heritage of this historic region.
The World’s First Floating Museum
The 2024 Art Explora Festival stands out for its unique format, featuring both a floating museum and onshore exhibition pavilions designed by Jean-Michel Wilmotte. The museum boat, created by Axel de Beaufort and Guillaume Verdier, is 47 meters long and 18 meters wide, with a 55-meter mast adorned with sails designed by artist Laure Prouvost. This vessel embodies exploration and discovery, connecting diverse cultures and communities.
Frédéric Jousset, Founder and President of the Art Explora Foundation, emphasizes the power of mobility and artistic creation as tools for sharing stories and images that transform our perception of the world.
Artistic Programming
The festival presents a rich and varied program divided into three key areas:
- Aboard the Floating Museum
- Immersive Exhibition “Présentes”: This exhibition, created in collaboration with the Louvre Museum, highlights female figures from Mediterranean civilizations. It features a two-part experience, including a documentary film screened on the aft deck and an immersive journey within the museum boat. Visitors can also explore a sound voyage across the Mediterranean, crafted by Ircam x Centre Pompidou, on the upper deck.
- Onshore Exhibition Pavilions
- Central Pavilion “Under the Azure”: This exhibition draws inspiration from the evocative power of the Mediterranean Sea, exploring its myths, creatures, and the visions it inspires. Artists featured include Etel Adnan, Jean-Marie Appriou, Bayan, Aslı Çavuşoğlu, and others. Curated by Rebecca Lamarche-Vadel with associate curator Blanche de Lestrange, Artistic Director of the Art Explora Foundation.
- Photo and Moving Image Pavilion “Against the Current”: This exhibition addresses themes of hospitality, migration, and exile through the works of emerging and established photographers and videographers. Artists include Majd Abdel Hamid, Mounira Al Solh, Younes Ben Slimane, and others. Curated by Amanda Abi Khalil and Danielle Makhoul.
- Virtual Reality Pavilion: Showcasing a selection of top virtual reality experiences focused on Mediterranean and global themes. Highlights include “Mediterranean Marvels” by Ubisoft, “Millennial Cities” by Ubisoft, “Barra Off-Site” by the HAWAF collective, and more.
- Live Programming
- Multidisciplinary and Interactive Events: The stops in Tangier and Rabat offer a vibrant program of performances, concerts, film screenings, dance shows, workshops, and discussions, all free and open to the public. Curated by Laila Hida, this program explores the mythologies of contemporary societies, presenting historical and imaginary narratives deeply intertwined with the regions they represent.
