China/Morocco: A Dialogue of Perspectives”: Marrakech Photography Festival Explores Intercultural Dialogue

From October 7 to 10, 2026, the Marrakech Photography Meetings (RPM) will dedicate their 6th edition to China, the guest of honor. On this occasion, Bahia Palace (a historic palace in Marrakech) hosted the opening of two photography exhibitions on October 8, including “China/Morocco: A Dialogue of Perspectives,” an artistic project that highlights the heritage, landscapes, and contemporary realities of both countries.

Curated by Mr. Abdellah Oustad (Moroccan exhibition curator), the exhibition is part of an artistic cooperation initiative grounded in the reciprocal exchange of perspectives. It brings together works by Chinese photographer Mr. Qi Hao and Moroccan photographer Mr. Noureddine El Warari, whose photographs offer a visual dialogue between their respective worlds.

The exhibition is the culmination of a photographic exchange program built around reciprocal artistic residencies. First, Moroccan photographers traveled to Ningbo and Shanghai to capture urban transformations, cultural expressions, and traces of China’s millennia-old heritage. In turn, Chinese photographers from Ningbo traveled across Morocco, documenting the diversity of its landscapes, the distinctive qualities of its light, and scenes from everyday life.

This encounter between perspectives gives rise to a visual dialogue in which distinct aesthetic and cultural sensibilities resonate without losing their individuality. Beyond depicting the two countries, the works explore how each culture perceives the other and how photography can convey realities shaped by different historical and cultural contexts.

Jointly organized by the Chinese Cultural Center, the Ningbo Photographers Association, and the Moroccan cultural association “Voix Plurielles”, the initiative extends beyond the scope of an artistic exhibition. It reflects the organizers’ commitment to making photography a means of bringing people closer together by encouraging the circulation of artworks, the exchange of perspectives, and mutual understanding.

Through this program, the Marrakech Photography Meetings reaffirm their role as a platform for international artistic exchange. Hosting this Sino-Moroccan project at Bahia Palace further advances the festival’s ambition to open Morocco’s photographic scene to contemporary international practices and strengthen cultural ties between Morocco and China.

Sources: Maghreb Arabe Presse (MAP): Morocco’s official state-owned news agency, and other Moroccan news agencies.