White Museum: A Japanese Masterpiece Embraces Moroccan Photography

In the heart of Casablanca's old city, a new museum celebrates the art of the image. The Museum of Photography and Visual Arts is itself a work of art, designed by renowned Japanese architect Tadao Ando. The building harmoniously combines traditional Moroccan fortress-like features, such as arches and earthy-toned walls, with Ando's signature style: grey concrete and integrated plant life, all illuminated by natural light.

Its transparent main facade allows the photographic exhibits to be visible from the street, making the art a part of the public space and the surrounding neighborhood. Inside, three exhibition floors are connected by simple, uniform staircases, offering architectural pleasure.

The museum launched with several exhibitions, including "Casa," which explores Casablanca as a subject of contemplation. This exhibition highlights the city's birth from a "modernist shock" in the early 20th century, its unique identity forged without a golden past, and its resulting self-made myth as a modern metropolis. It features striking architecture, including skyscrapers and buildings that break from Moroccan tradition, as well as the iconic Hassan II Mosque.

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The modern Casablanca was born from nothing after a modernist shock in the early 20th century; it emerged from a historical break and quickly imposed itself as a laboratory. And because it did not inherit a golden historical era from the past, the White City made its own legend as a modern metropolis.

The "Casa" exhibition also delves into colonial architecture, updated by a bygone era, and the city's post-modern influences. It emphasizes that a city's true life comes from its inhabitants, showcasing diverse scenes of Casablanca life: people in traditional or modern attire, housing from shantytowns to skyscrapers, and the blend of Western pop music and local culture.

Another section of the museum traces the history of Moroccan photography, including images taken by Sultan Abdelaziz in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and photographs of Moroccans in laboratories. It also features illustrated stories of Moroccan music, including a period where men took on female roles in theater, and mixed-gender bands with both Eastern and Western influences.

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The city gains its true life from those who inhabit it, move through its spaces, and contribute to its transformation day by day.