The third edition of the fair will bring together artists, galleries, curators and art professionals from Nov. 4 to Dec. 17 at Casablanca’s Villa des Arts, with free admission for the public.
The third edition of Salon Émergences will run from Nov. 4 to Dec. 17, 2026, at the Villa des Arts in Casablanca, bringing together 50 emerging artists through exhibitions, professional encounters and workshops designed to support the next generation of contemporary artists.
Organized by BASMA in partnership with the AL MADA Foundation, the fair features 43 selected artists, four participants in the ToCasa Pan-African residency and three winners of the 2025 AL MADA–Émergence Prize, whose work will be presented in Rabat as part of the exhibition series Trilogy One.
The 43 exhibitors were selected from 120 applications submitted in French, English and Arabic. Admission to the fair is free and open to all.
A platform for emerging artists
Salon Émergences aims to connect artists with gallery owners, curators, businesses and other art professionals, while offering the public opportunities to discover new artistic talent.
The fair has expanded since its previous edition, which featured 37 artists in 2025. Its 2026 program includes guided tours and opportunities for professionals to meet participating artists, while businesses are invited to explore ways of bringing art into the workplace. Selected works will also be available for purchase.
Professional workshops, panel discussions and public sessions will extend the program from Nov. 17 through Dec. 17.
The fair also seeks to provide artists with opportunities beyond the exhibition itself. All 10 artists featured in Ce geste vient d’ailleurs (This Gesture Comes From Elsewhere), presented at the Bahia Palace in February 2026 as part of 1-54 Marrakech, had previously participated in Salon Émergences 2025, with six exhibiting at the fair and four taking part in the ToCasa residency.
In March 2027, BASMA will again participate in the What’s On program at 1-54 Marrakech, with artists selected from participants in Salon Émergences 2026 and the ToCasa residency.
A younger cohort and broader regional representation
The 2026 cohort comprises 43 exhibitors, 20 women and 23 men, with 26 artists under the age of 30. Participants live in 18 cities, including 15 in Morocco and three abroad.
Casablanca accounts for the largest share, with 13 artists, or approximately 30% of the cohort. Tétouan follows with five artists, Mohammedia with three, and Rabat, Témara, Agadir and Marrakech with two each.
Women’s representation among exhibitors has also increased. Women accounted for 46.5% of the 2026 cohort, compared with 36.8% in 2025, when 14 of 38 exhibitors were women. According to the organizers, the increase was driven largely by artists from outside Casablanca, where the number of participating women rose from five to 17.
Artists based outside Casablanca and the greater Rabat-Salé-Témara area now represent 44% of the cohort, or 19 artists, compared with 21% in 2025.
An independent jury selected the exhibitors anonymously using a six-criterion evaluation framework.
AL MADA–Émergence Prize and Trilogy One
Established in 2025 by BASMA and the AL MADA Foundation, the annual AL MADA–Émergence Prize recognizes three artists from among the fair’s exhibitors.
The jury for the 2026 edition will bring together representatives from across the contemporary art sector. Its composition and the date of the award ceremony will be announced at a later stage.
The prize’s impact extends through Trilogy, an annual exhibition series bringing together the three previous year’s winners in Rabat. The first edition, Trilogy One, features Karim Largou, Soukaina Bouali and Mehdi Ait El Mallali at the Villa des Arts in Rabat, accompanied by an exhibition catalog.
The exhibition explores the dialogue that emerges when three distinct artistic practices and creative trajectories are presented together. Its opening reception is scheduled for Nov. 12.
ToCasa residency brings four African artists to Casablanca
Running from Oct. 5 to Nov. 5, the ToCasa Pan-African residency welcomes four artists to Casablanca, selected from 80 applications submitted from across the African continent.
The participants are:
- Ashenafe Mestika Negash (Ethiopia): Explores fragility as a condition of existence. He held five solo exhibitions in Addis Ababa between 2022 and 2026.
- Abdulsalam Nuhu, known as Elroy Salam (Ghana): A photographer and visual artist whose work addresses identity, spirituality and mental health.
- Koffi Doubbin Jonas (Côte d’Ivoire): Creates paintings using discarded glass collected from the streets, breaking and repurposing the material. He exhibited at Madrid’s Mamah Africa Gallery in 2025.
- Oluwatobiloba Moses Fasalejo (Nigeria): An acrylic painter whose large-format works and diptychs explore domestic presence and absence.
Their work will be presented to the public at the Villa des Arts in Casablanca following the conclusion of the residency.
Supporting artists from training to international recognition
BASMA is a Moroccan nonprofit cultural association founded in Casablanca in 2020 by Ilyass Alami Afilal. The organization emerged after an open call to Moroccan visual artists revealed a lack of support structures for emerging talent.
It supports graduates of fine arts schools and self-taught artists under 35 who are Moroccan or based in Morocco, providing assistance across different stages of professional development, from building confidence to securing international exposure. By the end of 2025, BASMA had supported nearly 250 young artists.
Salon Émergences 2026 will run at the Villa des Arts in Casablanca from Nov. 4 to Dec. 17. Admission is free and open to the public.
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