MACAAL Opens Daoud Aoulad-Syad’s In the Blink of an Eye Through November 29

MACAAL has opened a substantial new photography exhibition by Marrakech-born photographer and filmmaker Daoud Aoulad-Syad, giving visitors another strong reason to include the Al Maaden museum in an autumn Marrakech itinerary.

In the Blink of an Eye runs from September 18 through November 29, 2026 in MACAAL’s Artist Room. The exhibition brings together 36 photographs, including 24 images that the museum says have never previously been printed.

A different side of Aoulad-Syad’s photography

Aoulad-Syad is widely associated with expressive black and white analogue photography, but this exhibition gives particular space to color work. The selection looks at Morocco in the 1980s through everyday gestures, street life, popular gathering places and ordinary encounters.

The number 36 is deliberate. MACAAL connects it to the 36 exposures of a traditional roll of analogue film, a direct reference to the photographic process that remains central to the artist’s practice.

The exhibition is built like a walk through the street

Curated by Farah Maakel, with scenography by Sara Ayoub and production by Mouad Laalou, the exhibition is divided into three sections. The Square focuses on popular forms of gathering, The Alleyway moves into everyday and more intimate scenes, and The Market Gallery looks at commercial life and popular trading spaces.

A film by Aoulad-Syad closes the visitor journey, extending the connection between photography and cinema that has shaped his work for decades.

Why it matters in Marrakech

Aoulad-Syad was born in Marrakech in 1953 and has worked across photography, cinema and screenwriting. Seeing this body of work in his home city gives the exhibition a particularly strong local connection while still being accessible to international visitors interested in Moroccan visual culture.

Practical visitor information

MACAAL is in Al Maaden, Sidi Youssef Ben Ali, Marrakech. The museum is currently open Wednesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00. Standard adult admission is 120 MAD, while African residents or nationals pay 60 MAD. Children under 12 and students can enter free with the required proof.

The museum advises allowing roughly 10 to 20 minutes for a taxi to arrive when leaving, and says its reception team can help arrange one. MACAAL is fully accessible to visitors with reduced mobility.

Installation photo: Ayoub El Bardii, courtesy MACAAL, Daoud Aoulad-Syad and Galerie 127.