February 2026.../ During this year's 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair, cultural residence Jnane Rumi returns as a partner for the second consecutive year, presenting The Garden of Encounters, a group exhibition unfolding across its gardens in Marrakech's La Palmeraie.

Taking place on Saturday 7th February 2026, and open exclusively for VIP 1-54 ticketholders only, the exhibition brings together established international artists alongside emerging Moroccan voices, creating a dialogue between sculpture, installation, and performance. Visitors move intuitively through the gardens, discovering monumental works alongside fleeting, time-based interventions, with no fixed route.

Curated under the artistic direction of Samy Snoussi, The Garden of Encounters transforms Jnane Rumi's outdoor spaces into an open-air laboratory; a performative landscape where sculpture, gesture, and movement intersect. Works are experienced from shifting perspectives, encouraging close interactions.

Established and emerging voices in contemporary African art

Amine El Gotaibi, a leading figure in contemporary African art, presents installations that challenge perception while probing the political and poetic tensions shaping contemporary African societies. Ikram Kabbaj contributes works shaped by decades of research into form and material. Often described as “performative sculptures,” her works carry the resonance of gesture beyond their material manifestation, whether shaped in clay, marble, metal, or other primal materials. Trained in Casablanca and Paris, and active internationally since 1989, Kabbaj is a leading figure in Moroccan sculpture and a long-standing advocate for the integration of sculpture in public space.

Alongside them, Amine Asselman and Ahmed Hajoubi explore abstraction, material poetry, and everyday textures, expanding the exhibition's dialogue between form, memory, and process. Hiba Baddou contributes an installation that further extends this exploration through material and space.

Sculpture, gesture, and performance in dialogue

Ines Abergel, with a background in dance, psychology, and philosophy, presents work rooted in research around identity, embodiment, and the politics of “being”. Additional artists - including Loutfi Souidi, Nafie Ben Krish, Margaux Derhy, and Mo Balaa - bring new approaches to identity, memory, and experimentation.

Throughout the gardens, performances by Samy Snoussi, Malika Agueznay, and Mohammed El Hajoui activate the space, while Sophia Kacimi, Sarah Amrani, and Sabrina Charehbili reshape the site into narrative environments. Amina Benbouchta provides a conceptual bridge between generations, linking established and emerging practices through shared thematic concerns.

Presented as part of 1-54 Marrakech, The Garden of Encounters reflects a wider cultural moment in which Morocco continues to assert itself as a vital centre for artistic production, experimentation, and exchange - and Jnane Rumi sits at the heart of it.

About the host: design-led cultural residence Jnane Rumi

Opened in April 2025, Jnane Rumi is a luxury cultural residence located in Marrakech's La Palmeraie district, a short drive from the Medina. Founded by Dutch art lawyer and cultural entrepreneur Gert-Jan van den Bergh and his wife Corinne, a sculptor and body-oriented therapist, the residence occupies a restored architectural landmark by the late Tunisian architect Charles Boccara.

Set within gardens planted with over 150 century-old palm, olive, and pistachio trees, the house was formerly owned by Moroccan sociologist Paul Pascon and has long been associated with intellectual and cultural exchange. A recent renovation led by Boccara's disciple Nicolas Bodé alongside Jacques van Nieuwerburgh preserves the building's blend of traditional Moroccan and contemporary aesthetics while introducing modern amenities.

Jnane Rumi offers 12 en-suite bedrooms across the main house, garden pavilions, and a private annex with its own pool, alongside a full-length swimming pool, hammam, massage room, and multiple indoor and outdoor gathering spaces. The residence is available both to individual guests and as an exclusive private rental.

Art is central to the Jnane Rumi experience. Marrakech-based artist and the property's Artistic Director, Samy Snoussi, has curated a rotating programme of local works shown alongside European artists with active ties to Marrakech. The collection is accessible to both staying and non-staying guests as part of a year-round cultural programme.

Beyond The Garden of Encounters, Jnane Rumi offers visiting guests bespoke art and creative itineraries, including access to artists' studios, museums, galleries, and leading fashion, furniture, and design studios - a rare window into Marrakech's cultural ecosystem from the inside.

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For bookings and information visit www.jnanerumi.com or email info@jnanerumi.com.

For press enquiries and images, please contact Nadia Walford PR. E: nadia@nadiawalford.com; M: +44 (0) 7951 058 443.