The “Tarz” Exhibition Traces the Evolution of Moroccan Textile Heritage

Rabat – The exhibition “Tarz, Embroidery in Morocco, Yesterday and Today” opened Thursday at the National Museum of Adornment in the Oudayas district of Rabat, celebrating the richness of Moroccan embroidery and the diversity of its schools.

Initiated by the National Museums Foundation (FNM) in collaboration with the Angoulême Museum in France, this exhibition, which runs until January 31, 2027, traces the evolution of this art through time and highlights its place as one of the key components of the national textile heritage.

It also offers an artistic, historical, and anthropological journey through numerous embroidery traditions in Morocco, from Fez, Meknes, Rabat, Salé, Tetouan, Chefchaouen, and Azemmour, to local expressions from the Tafilalet and Anti-Atlas regions, through various pieces and fabrics that reflect the diversity of stitches, ornamental compositions, and manufacturing techniques.

These pieces and fabrics highlight the social and cultural memory preserved by this art and passed down through generations of women, aiming to anchor this heritage in the present by embracing contemporary creation through works designed by the artist Fatima Lévèque and produced in collaboration with two Moroccan workshops—an experience considered by the organizers as a “harmonious dialogue between tradition and modernity.”

In a statement to MAP, Fatima Lévèque, an artist, designer, and textile researcher, indicated that she has worked for over 30 years on the themes of Amazigh and Arab-Muslim textiles in general. She specified that she has collaborated for nearly eight years with the Angoulême Museum on the Prosper Ricard collection, acquired by two museums in France: the Quai Branly-Jacques Chirac Museum and the Angoulême Museum of Fine Arts.

Ms. Lévèque explained that her research approach essentially consists of tracing the origins, through the search for embroideries that may have disappeared in order to determine the reasons for their loss and rediscover the related stitches and techniques, to create pieces that combine classical and contemporary styles, with the aim of showcasing this exceptional heritage.

The designer expressed her delight at the organization of this exhibition in Morocco, following its presentation twice in two museums in France in 2022 and 2023.

For his part, the president of the National Embroidery Federation (FNM), Mehdi Qotbi, stated that the organization of this event is part of the celebration of Moroccan embroidery, a rich ancestral textile heritage passed down from generation to generation by women who have passionately and patiently preserved the gestures, motifs, and techniques that constitute this legacy.

Mr. Qotbi also welcomed the organization of this exhibition in collaboration with the Angoulême Museum, which houses a unique collection of Moroccan embroidery, and praised the exceptional and growing public enthusiasm for the National Museum of Adornment.

For his part, Abdelaziz El Idrissi, head of the museums department at the National Foundation of Museums (FNM), explained that the Angoulême Museum possesses a collection of embroideries dating from the early 20th century, acquired in Morocco, which are now on display in an exhibition jointly organized by the FNM and the Angoulême Museum. He noted that the exhibition presents embroidery as one of the most emblematic expressions of textile art in Morocco.

According to the organizers, this museum exhibition is the result of multidisciplinary scientific research bringing together art historians, ethnologists, and designers, and unites the collections of the Angoulême Museum, enriched by exceptional loans from national institutions and private collectors.

Composed primarily of embroidered textiles, the collection gives pride of place to the “Tarz of Fez,” which alone comprises 112 designs and 29 complete pieces, including placemats, shawls, and cushions. and henna handkerchiefs, characterized by the diversity of their patterns and the richness of their color palettes.