Meriem Berrada is an artistic director and curator whose practice engages with creative expressions from Africa and the Arab world, with a particular focus on photography and on the intersections of art and craft within contemporary narratives.
She has been selected to curate the first Moroccan Pavilion at the Venice Biennale (2026) and recently served as Artistic Director of the Tasweer Photography Biennale in Qatar. In 2021, she co-curated the 13th edition of the Rencontres de Bamako in Mali and was head curator of What Is Forgotten and What Remains at the National Museum of the History of Immigration – Palais de la Porte Dorée in Paris, as part of the Africa2020 cultural season.
At Fondation Alliances, she played a key role in the creation of the Museum of African Contemporary Art Al Maaden (MACAAL) in Marrakech, where she continues to serve as Artistic Director. Her notable initiatives there include La Chambre Claire, a photography competition supporting emerging African talents, and Passerelles, a socially engaged program connecting artistic practice with community outreach. Her commitment to strengthening cultural ecosystems across the continent also led her to establish the MACAAL Bootcamp, a comprehensive training program for young museum and cultural professionals from Africa, focusing on professional skills, leadership, and personal development.
Recognized for her contributions, Meriem Berrada was featured in Apollo magazine’s “40 Under 40” influential art world figures and in the French ranking 100 Femmes de Culture. She continues to mentor emerging talents through initiatives such as NOOR Photo and the Duvangu residency in Gabon, and regularly serves on prestigious juries, including those of the British Journal of Photography, CNAP / Ateliers Médicis, and the Goethe-Institute South Africa.
Her recent exhibitions include As I lay between two seas (2025), Territories of the Instant (mathaf, Doha); Display: Sara Ouhaddou (Berlin and Marrakech), Fieldworks: Amina Agueznay (2024), and Our Land Just Like a Dream: Joël Andrianomearisoa (2022). Alongside her curatorial work, she actively contributes to international conversations on curatorial and museum practice through major conferences and platforms, including Harvard University’s Future of Africa-Based Curatorial Practice symposium (2022), the Museums Round Table in San Francisco (2023), and the IKT Congress (2025).
