As 1-54—Africa and its diaspora’s celebrated contemporary art fair—descends on the Moroccan capital, many will be flocking to the city to take in its splendors.
One whiff of Marrakech’s spice-infused air or a glimpse of the red clay walls basking in the sun’s warmth, and it’s easy to understand how the Red City is one of the world’s most sensory destinations. The city sits along the ancient trading routes that drew merchants from Europe, the Middle East, and the rest of Africa to exchange precious stones, leather goods, exotic spices, richly dyed textiles, intoxicating perfumes, luscious silks, and precious pottery. Today, these global influences echo throughout the city and are reflected in its food, fashion, design, music, and craftsmanship.
It’s no surprise, then, that Marrakech has long been a magnet for the creative class who are seduced by the city’s inexhaustible beauty. Among them are Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé, Bill Willis, Talitha Getty, Henri Matisse, Cecil Beaton, and Josephine Baker. “Marrakech’s extraordinary light and colors are a source of profound inspiration for many artists, who find the city’s luminosity to have a meditative quality to it,” muses Yasmine Berrada Sounni, director of Loft Art Gallery, which represents modern and contemporary artists from the continent. As the 1-54 art fair takes over the capital today, we sought to discover where best to stay, eat, shop, see art, and unwind in the “Daughter of the Desert.”