MOROCCO (17/08-24/08 2007)

It never ceases to amaze me how our modern days of air travel can blur and sanitise the impression of the real world. Taking off from Mumbai airport, we flew over many square kms of blue plastic tarpaulin covering the slums of Mumbai. If the poverty has been made bearable to occidental tourist eyes in inner city Mumbai, it is largely because the poorest part of the population has been pushed far way from its centre, in a part of town that most westerners would see only from far above.
Landing at Heathrow airport in London was in a way like arriving in one of my many homes. It is so easy to move around London, like it is in any city once you have been there more than once. This time it was just a very brief stop over on our way to Marrakech.
Nevertheless we had time to catch up with Marina, one of my many ex-flatmates from Sydney before I started travelling 3 years ago. She kindly put us up for the 2 nights and after 6 weeks of India it felt really good to spend time with friends again. We also had time to visit Scream gallery in Mayfair-London which had shown some genuine interest in our respective works last year and to remind the manager that we were still around and keener than ever to find gallery representation in London. A quick visit for lunch at the wonderful food market behind the Tate Modern and a few hours at the Tate Modern itself, a brief networking time at the opening of a Cork St gallery and it was time to pack our bags and meet Marina for a last London supper before catching a plane to Marrakech.
This holiday in Marrakech was largely motivated by the fact Rebecca,
my ex sister-in- law, had left boring Woolongong- Australia a few years ago to start a new life as an artist in Marrakech. Hosted by Rebecca and her new very talented calligraphist artist/partner Larbi, we embraced Marrakech wholeheartedly or rather Marrakech took us under its wings! We had a tremendous time, guided by our two “local” friends. All the clichés were there (colourful and lively Medina, fantastic nightly atmosphere on the Plaza….) but somehow, we did not felt part of the tourists’ circus.
We went bezeark with shopping for babouches and kaftans! We even consider (just for one day) buying a “riad” to renovate in charming, but so touristy, seafront town of Essaouira!

We really indulged in that leisure week, knowing that time ahead of us in France and particularly in Paris was going to be dedicated to producing artwork in view of my soon to open solo show in Hanoi – Vietnam (November 2007). One week later, by 25th August we flew out of Marrakech to Marseille.