Laila Hida

Laila Hida is a Moroccan artist, curator and cultural worker based in Marrakech whose practice focuses on image production through photography, video, installation and publishing projects. Her work explores cultural imaginaries, projections of desire and the tensions between local and Western contexts, examining how these narratives shape contemporary visual representation. One of her recent projects, “Le Voyage du Phoenix,” investigates photography, literature and cinema as tools to reflect on the regimes of desire that defined the twentieth century. Alongside her artistic practice, Hida is deeply involved in curatorial and cultural initiatives. In 2013 she founded LE 18 Marrakech, a multidisciplinary cultural space and artist residency located in the medina of Marrakech dedicated to rethinking artistic production, research and mediation within its local environment. In 2014 she also launched Dabaphoto, an annual program dedicated to photography and image-making practices in Morocco. Through her artistic and curatorial work, Hida actively contributes to the development of contemporary art and visual culture in North Africa.