Mariages - عرس (Algérie-Maroc-Tunisie)

To explore this pivotal moment of marriage in the Maghreb, discover a selection of costumes and adornments never before shown in France, presented alongside works by 18 contemporary artists from the Maghreb and its diasporas, who cast their gaze on this important moment in social and intimate life.

Marriage is a pivotal moment in the private and social lives of women and men around the world. In the Maghreb, this event is celebrated as an occasion to come together as a community and share collective joy. One of the words used to denote marriage is farah, “joy” in Arabic.

On display: costumes and adornments never previously shown in France

The exhibition is organized around heritage works and will present a selection of some forty costumes and adornments never exhibited in France, drawn from Moroccan, Algerian and Tunisian collections. These pieces, dating from the 19th to the 20th centuries, celebrate the bride and the women around her while highlighting national and regional specificities, the richness of heritages and shared practices, notably between Muslims and Jews. The evolution of costume, the persistence and particularity of rituals, and the symbolic and protective aspects are among the subjects addressed.

Putting the bride at the center of the narrative, as well as the role of women in these celebrations—from assembling the trousseau to making the garments and accompanying the bride—the exhibition also seeks to confront these heritage works with the perspectives of contemporary artists and to highlight continuities and changes in today’s societies.

The voices of 18 contemporary artists

To capture the essence of these celebrations in all their diversity, the exhibition, in dialogue with these collections, gives voice to eighteen contemporary artists, predominantly women, from Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco and their diasporas, who offer their subjective views on this important moment in social and intimate life. They guide us through the codified stages of marriage and help us understand what these ritual celebrations reveal today about the societies that practice them.

The exhibition Mariages-Farah, organized at the IMA, explores marriage as a social ritual in constant evolution. Some artists celebrate traditions and the moments of collective joy these festivities afford, while examining the legacy of these traditions and their survivals. Others contextualize certain wedding practices within the societies that practice them and the ideologies they convey.

The exhibition combines heritage objects, artistic creations, archives and immersive staging to highlight the material and immaterial dimensions (dances, music, costumes, food) of this cultural heritage.