Vive la mariée !

To explore this pivotal moment that is marriage in the Maghreb, discover an exceptional selection of costumes and adornments never before shown in France. It is juxtaposed with the works of 27 contemporary artists from the Maghreb and its diasporas, who offer their subjective gaze on this important moment in social and intimate life.

Marriage is a pivotal moment in the intimate and social life of women and men around the world. In the Maghreb, this event is celebrated with great pomp because it is an opportunity to build community by gathering around a collective joy. One of the words that designates marriage is, indeed, farah, “joy” in Arabic.

To discover: costumes and adornments never shown in France.

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

Putting the bride at the heart of the discourse but also the role of women during these celebrations—from assembling the trousseau to the making of the pieces and the accompaniment of the bride—the exhibition also seeks to juxtapose these patrimonial works with the perspectives of artists, thus highlighting continuities or contemporary societal evolutions.

Giving a voice to 27 contemporary artists

To capture the essence of these celebrations in all their diversity, the exhibition, in dialogue with these rare and exceptional collections, gives a voice to twenty-seven contemporary artists—primarily women—from Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco and their diasporas, who offer their subjective gaze on this important moment in social and intimate life, guiding us through the codified stages of marriage and helping us understand what these ritual celebrations say today about the societies that practice them.

The exhibition Vive la mariée!, organized at the Arab World Institute (IMA) as part of the Mediterranean Season implemented by the Institut Français, explores marriage as a social ritual in constant evolution. Some artists celebrate the traditions, the moments of collective joy made possible by these festivities, and question the heritage of these traditions and their survivals. Others place certain marriage practices in perspective with the societies that practice them and the ideologies they convey.

Mixing patrimonial objects, artistic creations, archives and an immersive scenography to valorize the material and immaterial dimensions (dance, music, costumes, food...) of this cultural heritage, the exhibition will be accompanied by a lively cultural program and mediation program, inaugurated by a grand parade under the artistic direction of Mohamed Bourouissa, the festive procession “Tell Me Your Wedding.”

The artists exhibited:

Maïssane Alibrahimi, Héla Ammar, Daoud Aoulad-Syad, Ismaël Bazri, Souhila Bel Bahar, Valérie Belin, Sabrina Belouaar, Carolle Bénitah, Jean Besancenot, Meriem Bouderbala, Kenza Bousseloub, Dora Dalila Cheffi, Abdel Djalel Chib, Margaux Derhy, Khadija el Abyad, Ymane Fakhir, Djamel Farès, Fatna Gbouri, Abdelaziz Gorgi, Farida Hamak, Yves Jeanmougin, Sophia Kacimi, Mouna Karray, Fela Kefi Leroux, Ghalia Kriaa, Amira Lamti, Lazhar Mansouri, Yasmina Ouahid, Sara Ouhaddou, Shourouk Rhaiem, Ghizlane Sahli, Ridha Zili

Commissariat:

- Élodie Bouffard, responsable des expositions, Institut du monde arabe
- Nawel Dehina, chargée de collections et d'expositions, Institut du monde arabe