The second period, from 1970-1999, encompasses the so-called Years of Lead, and is among the most violent in Morocco’s recent history, including the uprisings of 1981 and 1984 as a consequence of the political and economic crisis. This chapter introduces some of the most experimental works that remained marginalized for decades, as many artists and intellectuals worked in secret or adopted strategies of resistance to the market and the established podiums, while the state initiated art festivals in major cities. The 2nd Arab Biennial took place in Rabat in 1976, and was followed by the Asilah Festival, which is still taking place today.

Mohammed Kacimi (1942-2003) created work that reflects on the human condition and the struggle for freedom. In the 1970s he was among the most socially engaged artists against racism and injustice. He was actively involved in art events and publication in support to anti-war and liberation movements in Africa, Palestine.

Latifa Toujani (* 1948) is among the feminist artists. She collaborated with feminist writer Fatima Mernissi, participated in the artists’ encounters in the 1st Arab Biennial in Baghdad in 1974, and took part in a pan-Arab art event in solidarity with Palestine. Her works presented in the exhibition Moroccan Trilogy 1950-2020 reflect her engagement with human rights during one of the darkest historical periods in Morocco.

Leila Kilani (* 1970), a director, screen writer and producer who was born in Casablanca, creates films that reflect on the political and socio-economic nature of different places, often set in her home country. She is best known for her documentaries. Kilani’s film Nos Lieux Interdits (2008) reveals aspects of this historical period in Morocco, and explores memory and trauma related to people’s disappearance and torture during the Years of Lead.

The third period from 2000-2020, focuses on the work of artists and activists, marking the rise of populist political parties, the Casablanca terrorist attacks in 2003 and the Arab Spring, defining an era of radical change, mass uprising and technological development. The generation of artists, who emerged during this period broke away from their predecessors. The Generation 00 artists look at social realities with immediate and live updates about the world, work with new media practices, and operate in a post-internet world. They created new spaces in Tangiers, Rabat, Casablanca and inspired a new generation of Moroccan artists and authors now working on a global scale.

Mounir Fatmi (* 1970) is a Moroccan artist based in Paris, whose provocative installations address social, political and environmental issues. Fatmi employs a variety of unconventional media in his work, appropriating familiar objects such as VHS tapes and old antenna wires – such as in his Aljazeera work – for use in conceptual narratives. His Erased paintings (since 1997), where Fatmi ‘erases’ his compositions with white paint, are considered the most radical gesture and shift in his practice.

Yto Barrada (* 1971) is an artist who creates art as a learning process. Her multipaths practice is based on investigating urban life and its zones of uncertainty, ecologies and their creative gardening. She produces photographs, films, sculptures and installations that explore the social, political and historical conditions in her home city of Tangier. She created the Cinémathèque de Tanger as a place where her art practice and social activist meet.

Hicham Benohoud (* 1968) produces work that ranges from painting to new media, but photography occupies a central place in his interdisciplinary practice, making the link between identity politics and power relations.

Younes Rahmoun (* 1975) is one of the most important Moroccan artists of Generation 00 that emerged internationally in the early 2000s. His artistic practice is inseparable from his religious and spiritual beliefs, his abstract works reveal his interest in repetition and meditation. He continues to teach at the Fine Art School in Tetouan, where he invites local and international artists to meet with students.

Yassine Balbzioui (* 1972) plays with conventions and shifts between media, leading the viewer to question the notions of sincerity and society based on appearances. His paintings are marked with animals and birds, comparing their similarities to human habits and characteristics. For Moroccan Trilogy at Reina Sofia, Balbzioui has created a monumental wall painting with multiple scenes, a Don Quichotte (Don Quixote) riding a zebra, a man sleeping with bananas, and a disproportionately long horse with multiple characters as fantasy riders.

Sara O’Haddou (* 1986) was born in France in an Amazigh family, her work explores notions of heritage and transnational identities, through research and experiment between and quasi-scientific and poetic practice, addressing the challenges facing the artisan crafts communities around the world, including Morocco and Japan.

Safaa Erruas (* 1976), is a Moroccan artist known for her subversion of domestic materials and the presence of the colour white in her work. Brisa, is an incisive work produced in 2002 for the exhibition JF_JH individualites, at a historical moment when Morocco was debating the status of women in society, particularly their civil rights and contribution to politics, economics and ethics.