During the Khial Nkhel Art Program 2020, Bayo Alvaro conceived two large scale sculptures consisting on a Jacaranda tree and a palm tree emerging into and out of the space.

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The Jacaranda tree, both present in Morocco and Mexico, Bayo Alvaro's home country, is understood from a series of personal memories and narratives mingled with spiritual practices of hair related magic. This tree fused with the space create a phantasmagorical image of belonging.

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For his second large scale sculpture, Bayo Alvaro introduces the palm tree both as a blessing overseeing the exhibition space and as a curse for its colonial past as an imported symbol of power. This roaming palm tree becomes entrapped in the wall to see itself transformed into a street lamp recalling similar night lights in Marrakesh's modern city.

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Khial Nkhel is an itinerant residency and exhibition program. Created in 2017 by a collective of Moroccan artists, Khial Nkhel advocates for an experimental approach to creation and for the renewal of exhibition practices in the art field.

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After several residencies in Bin el Ouidane, 15 mixed-media artists will this time gather in Marrakech’s medina, at the Queens Collective Riad. During 3 weeks, they will develop their own practice and collaborate with others, in close intimacy with the local environment.

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