Othman Lazraq
Othman Lazraq is an associate architect of Lazraq Studio firm, Director of Fondation Alliances, a not-for-profit association which focuses on supporting cultural development in Morocco, and President of The Museum of African Contemporary Art Al Maaden (MACAAL), Marrakech, an independent, not-for-profit contemporary art museum which houses the Lazraq family’s extensive collection. The collection focuses on works by leading artists from Morocco and the rest of the continent in a wide range of media. After a soft opening in 2016, the museum launched internationally in February 2018. Dynamic and visionary, he has long held the conviction that culture is a source of progress and development. His passion for photography motivated him to found a not-for-profit initiative under Fondation Alliances titled Lcc Program (La Chambre Claire). It is an annual award supporting contemporary African photography through the promotion and exhibition of an emerging artist, for which he is chairman of the jury. Notable applicants include Yassine Alaoui, Maya-Inès Touam and Christian Sanna. The Foundation also supports local creatives with their residency programme, MACAAL Residence, which was conceived as a place for living and sharing to visual artists, researchers and curators from the African continent and its diaspora. Other initiatives include Programme Passerelles (trans. bridges) which encourages engagement with local young people through workshops and classes on contemporary art and design, alongside museum visits. Othman and the team at Fondation Alliances are committed to ensuring the engagement of the Moroccan public through their exhibition programme and cultivating the interest of the younger generations through their education initiatives. Othman Lazraq is part of many institutional committees, such as the Tate AAC (Africa Acquisitions Committee) and NMNM (New National Museum of Monaco) acquisition committees, the Afreximbank art programme organising committee and the Afikra advisory committee.
