Tales from North Africa
Tangier, Morocco, has beaches that sit on both the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, access to Spain by Ferry, and a history of being a playground for Hollywood stars in the ‘50s like Rock Hudson and Rita Hayworth. But it’s the white city’s burgeoning culture scene, that combines film, art, and music, that brought me there this summer. Here, some highlights from my trip.
1
The Grand Socco square at the entrance of the medina.
2
Watching the waves on one of the many beaches that line Cap Spartel on the ocean side of Tangier.
3
A visit to Border Independent Art Factory, an studio space overlooking the port of Marssa. An unfinished painting of the current King and a woman was propped against a wall.
4
Tylan in front of a house in the “blue city” of Chefchaouen. The walls of the city are washed completely blue to resemble the sky.
5
Colorful Berber rags in a souk underneath the Kasbah in Tangier.
6
Bags of dye lining the streets of Chefchchaouen.
7
Yto Barrada’s Tangier studio. The artist, who is known for her palm-tree installations and books about Tangier, also works out of a studio in Brooklyn.
8
Camels walking along the beach.
9
A view of the road that leads to the Atlantic Ocean from the villa we rented in the city.
10
A view of the Mediterranean from café Hafa, one of Tangier’s premier cafes known for its Maghrebi mint tea.
11
Inside the studio of artist Mohamed Said Chaer at the Border Independent Art Factory.
12
A chair installation at Kind of Blue, a gallery in the colonial district of Tangier. French artist Damien Bonnard opened the gallery after what was supposed to be a 10-day vacation in Tangier but he never left.
13
“It’s like a Duchamp readymade,” artist Damien Bonnard said, pointing to his untitled installation during a visit to Kind of Blue.
14
On the ferry across the Strait of Gibraltar to Tarifa, Spain, where you can see the southern-most part of Europe.
15
Jumping around on Tarifa beach is an Instagram ritual.
16
Tylan enjoying the beach on our day-trip to Spain.
17
Vibrant tiles decorate many buildings in Tangier.
18
On the road heading into the mountains outside of Tangier. To see the “blue city” of Chefchaouen.
19
Hand-woven wool Berber rugs at a shop in the medina of Chefchaouen.
20
Mohamed Said Cher’s surrealist paintings in his studio space at Border Independent Art Factory.
21
A view of the coast of Tarfia from an old brick bridge in the Spanish town.
22
Poolside at El Minzah Hotel, the most famous hotel in downtown Tangier. Pictures of William Boroughs, Rock Hudson, Francis Ford Coppola, and Rita Hayworth line the walls of the lobby that leads to the pretty patio.
23
Taking a requisite jumping photo for Instagram on Tarifa beach in Spain.
24
Artist Yto Barrada in the window of her studio after our visit.
25
Hand-painted bowls hanging on the walls of a shop in the medina of Tangier.
26
Enjoying a beach day in Tarifa, Spain.
27
Standing outside a fish market across from Yto Barrada’s studio.
28
Photographs on the wall of the Cinema Rif, the first cinémathèque in North Africa dedicated to showing art-house films.
