the:artist:network new york announces it’s Moroccan initiative :
ARTIST NETWORK ESSAOUIRA شبكة فناني الصويرة
Ecology- Architecture- Art
Land is the primary work of art: a continuously evolving landscape shaped through cultivation, collaboration and care.
The proposed initiative in Essaouira, Morocco, extends this experience by linking artistic practice, landscape, and sustainable development. Rather than establishing a conventional artist residency in isolation, the project aims to create a place where contemporary art and cultural exchange emerge from Essaouira's living, productive landscape. It would connect international artists and curators with local communities, craftspeople, and agricultural knowledge, creating opportunities for residencies, exhibitions, workshops, and interdisciplinary research in Essaouira. Its cultural program supports regenerative argan agroforestry, ecological stewardship, and the economic empowerment of local women. In this context, Ard Nour — Land of Light is envisioned as the foundational Essaouira initiative: a landscape-based platform in which environmental regeneration, women-led enterprise, and cultural production reinforce one another.
For Marc and Alexandra Hungerbühler, Essaouira represents both a continuation and an evolution of an established international practice. The project seeks to build a lasting exchange between Morocco and the wider international arts community while remaining grounded in the region's specific ecology, cultural heritage, and social realities. It aims to create a collaborative environment where artistic experimentation, local knowledge, and regenerative land use support a shared, sustainable future.