From Saturday, October 5-November 16, 2019, Marrakech’s Gallery 127 will introduce the black and white images of Agadir born photographer and documentary filmmaker, Joseph Marando. The exhibit is an autobiographical narrative of his work which is inspired by everyday life in Morocco and his role models, 60s and 70s photography masters in human expression. In 2005, he published “Moroccan Ordinary,” a photography book featuring these kinds of environmental portraits. Currently, Marando is working on producing a documentary about the Fes Medina, his grandfather’s hometown. In 1991, when he won the Leonardo da Vinci Prize from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a six-month artistic residency; he began creating photographic travel notebooks. The journals document his trips between Morocco and France, where he immersed himself. The travel photographs demonstrate his routes from Forcalquier in Haute-Provence to Ifkern, Douar of the Middle Atlas. They also symbolize the crossing of time and the transition of one the self to the other. The photographs will be used for his documentary. The journals have also been displayed at the year of Morocco in France in 1998 and the year of Morocco in Spain in 2004. Marando’s work has also been featured throughout Morocco’s wide network of French Institutes.
The photographer’s curriculum includes a Baccalaureate in Literature and training under Étienne Sved, a photographer-graphic designer. From Sved, he learned the secrets of the darkroom. Marando also studied at the Arts at the faculty of Aix en Provence. Today he works as a reporter-photographer for the organization of the Social Activities of the Electric and Gas Industries (CCAS). He also leads photography workshops in Ben M’Sik, Casablanca, Mohamed, and Agadir.
Gallery 127 was founded by Nathalie Locatelli and is dedicated to photography, It is located in the twentieth-century French protectorate Gueliz neighborhood. Established photographers on display include or have included Denis Dailleux, Bernard Faucon, Tony Catoni. The young generation of photographers is represented by Carolle Benitah, Safaa Mazirh or Hicham Gardaf.