Rabat – Morocco’s Villa des Arts in Casablanca will host the third edition of Salon Émergences from November 4 to December 17, bringing together emerging artists and professionals from the contemporary art scene.
Organized by the Moroccan cultural association BASMA, with the Al Mada Foundation as a founding partner, the event aims to give emerging artists greater visibility and opportunities to connect with galleries, curators, and the wider public.
The 2026 edition received 120 applications in Arabic, English, and French. An independent jury selected the participating artists through an anonymous process based on six criteria, according to the organizers.
The main exhibition will feature 43 artists, including 20 women and 23 men, with 26 participants under the age of 30. The artists live in 18 cities, including 15 in Morocco and three abroad.
Casablanca accounts for the largest share of participants, with 13 artists, followed by Tetouan with five and Mohammedia with three. Rabat, Temara, Agadir, and Marrakech each have two representatives.
The organizers also reported an increase in women’s participation. Women accounted for 46.5% of the main exhibition’s artists in 2026, up from 36.8% in 2025.
Artists from outside Casablanca and the Rabat-Sale-Temara metropolitan area now represent 44% of the main group, compared with 21% last year. The number of participating artists from cities outside Casablanca increased from five to 17, reflecting a wider geographical reach.
Supporting emerging artists
The program also includes the Al Mada Émergence Prize, established in 2025 by BASMA and the Al Mada Foundation. The annual prize recognizes three artists among the Salon’s exhibitors. The jury’s composition and the date of the award ceremony will be announced at a later stage.
The three winners of the 2025 edition, including Karim Largou, Soukaina Bouali, and Mehdi Ait El Mallali, will present their work in Trilogy One, an exhibition at Villa des Arts in Rabat running from November 12 to January 10. The exhibition will explore the connections between three different artistic approaches.
Another part of the program is ToCasa, a pan-African artistic residency taking place in Casablanca from October 5 to November 5. Four artists selected from 80 applications from across the continent are participating.
They include Ethiopian artist Ashenafe Mestika Negash, Ghanaian photographer and visual artist Abdulsalam Nuhu, known as Elroy Salam, Ivorian painter Koffi Doubbin Jonas, and Nigerian painter Oluwatobiloba Moses Fasalejo.
Their work explores themes including vulnerability, identity, spirituality, mental health, and domestic life. Jonas also uses discarded glass collected from streets in his artistic practice. Their works will be presented to the public during the Salon.
The wider program includes professional workshops, conferences, and public workshops scheduled between November 17 and December 17. BASMA also plans to participate in What’s On, an exhibition program linked to the 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair in Marrakech, in March 2027.
Founded in Casablanca in 2020, BASMA supports emerging artists through mentoring, training, creative residencies, and exhibitions. The association said it had supported nearly 250 young artists by the end of 2025.
Salon Émergences 2026 will be open to the public at Villa des Arts in Casablanca, with free admission throughout the exhibition period.
