Ziad Naitaddi’s Visual Exploration of Perception and Migration
YAZ magazine is delighted to spotlight “Second Intention: The Economy of Illusion,” a solo exhibition by Moroccan artist Ziad Naitaddi, curated by Inês Valle, opening at LE 18 in Marrakesh on September 26, 2025. The exhibition will run until November 29, 2025, offering audiences an immersive exploration of perception, displacement, and identity.
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A Journey Through Illusion
Developed during Naitaddi’s residency at Hangar Lisbon in 2024, the exhibition presents a series of photographic works that examine the complex interplay between illusion and perception across Morocco and Portugal. Through a bold, experimental visual language, Naitaddi challenges the viewer to reflect on how visual culture, politics, and personal narratives can shape our understanding of “home” and “elsewhere.”
From Tangier’s urban landscapes to the evocative scenery of Portugal, his photographs reveal a duality: migrants often perceive their homelands through melancholy while idealizing their destinations, whereas local populations mirror these illusions in reverse. Naitaddi’s work underscores the emotional and visual architectures of migration, highlighting how fantasy, memory, and reality intertwine.
Experimental Photography as Narrative
Naitaddi treats photography not as a fixed medium but as an experimental space, allowing distortion, transformation, and contradiction. By revisiting archives, collecting oral and written testimonies, and re-engaging with his own photographs, he explores what he calls “photographic exhumation”, a method that uncovers layered narratives beyond the surface of the image.
This exhibition builds on his previous project, IMPORTO: The Economy of Illusion, first shown at Dínamo Gallery in Porto (March 2025). Together, both projects offer a dual reflection on migration, perception, and the politics of visual storytelling between Morocco and Portugal.
A Dialogue Between Morocco and Portugal
At its heart, Second Intention stages a visual conversation between Morocco and Portugal, two geographies historically intertwined yet often framed in opposition. For centuries, these countries have shared exchanges across migration, trade, and cultural memory, but they are also marked by narratives of separation and contrast: Morocco imagined as exotic and touristic, Portugal idealised as a gateway to opportunity in Europe. Naitaddi’s work unsettles these simplified binaries, instead offering a more nuanced reading of how individuals navigate belonging, nostalgia, and the pursuit of elsewhere. By weaving together these intertwined perspectives, the exhibition invites audiences to question how collective illusions are formed and sustained across borders.
Public Programme
To complement the exhibition, a free public programme invites audiences to delve deeper into its themes:
- 27 Sept, 6 PM – “The Sand You Carry in Your Pockets”: Lecture-performance at LE 18, exploring the emotional and symbolic dimensions of migration and memory.
- 29 Sept, 6 PM – “Where Figs Ripen and Sand Sifts”: Conversation at Le Cube, Rabat, discussing displacement, storytelling, and identity.
- 24 Oct, 7:30 PM – “Fouad Is Not a Criminal: HOME”: Film screening and talk at LE 18, featuring Fouad Beniouri on social and political realities in Rabat.
About the Artist & Curator
Ziad Naitaddi (b. 1995, Rabat) is known for extending his photographic practice into archival research, storytelling, and revisiting his own work to explore new narrative dimensions. His art has been presented internationally, including at the 13th Dakar Biennale, MAXXI Italy, and Fotogalerie Wien.
Inês Valle, a Portuguese curator and founder of the CERA Project, champions contemporary art beyond Eurocentric narratives, curating internationally with a focus on cross-cultural dialogue.
Partner Spaces
The exhibition is hosted in collaboration with:
- LE 18 (Marrakesh) – a multidisciplinary cultural space fostering research, creation, and collaborative learning.
- Le Cube – Independent Art Room (Rabat) – a space for contemporary artistic practices and critical reflection.
- the CERA Project (Lisbon) – a non-profit promoting contemporary art outside Eurocentric narratives.
SECOND INTENTION: The Economy of Illusion is more than an exhibition; it is an invitation to reflect on how we see the world and how the world sees us, through the lens of memory, migration, and imagination.
Press Release
Introduction Text
For more information, visit the official exhibition page on the CERA PROJECT platform!
