Latifa Echakhch's The Scene Takes Place exhibition explores theatrical emptiness and ink-stained canvases

The 2013 exhibition by Latifa Echakhch, titled The Scene Takes Place, showcases the installation Tannhäuser, which draws inspiration from the 1955 set design of Wieland Wagner for the Bayreuth Festival. This installation features pristine elements such as grey-and-white checkered boards, painted wooden arches, abandoned lights, and three lyres with slack strings. Throughout the space, ten unframed linen canvases, each two meters tall and stained with dark blue ink, create organic forms and tell a story, with titles including 'The scene takes place at the end of a torrent.' Echakhch's work juxtaposes Minimalism and Abstract Expressionism with themes of postcolonialism, reflecting her Moroccan-French-Swiss heritage. The exhibition also examines figuration and associations related to Richard Wagner’s influence after World War II. This article was published in the January & February 2014 issue of ArtReview.