Serpent: Aboriginal Art from Australia
Co-curated by Bérengère Primat, founder of the exhibition’s supporting partner Fondation Opale, and renowned Belgian art historian Georges Petitjean, a curator of collections at the Fondation Opale and one of the leading authorities on Aboriginal art, Serpent: Aboriginal Art from Australia at the Musée Yves Saint Laurent Marrakech is the first exhibition of Australian Aboriginal art in Morocco. A significant figure in many cultures and mythologies worldwide, and a motif common throughout Morocco – from the famous snake charmers of the Jemaa el-Fnaa square of Marrakech to symbolic representation of the snake in Berber jewellery – as well as a subject of ongoing fascination for the fashion house of Yves Saint Laurent itself, the serpent is one of the most important ancestral beings in Australian Aboriginal culture. Drawing on the collection of Bérengère Primat/Fondation Opale, the exhibition includes artworks by some of Australia’s most prominent Aboriginal artists including John Mawurndjul, Rover Thomas and Emily Kame Kngwarreye, all of which centre the serpent or depict versions of the Rainbow Serpent Dreamtime Story. At the same time, the exhibtion displays a rich and diverse overview of Aboriginal art. Serpent shows until January 28, 2024.
