Hamza El Fasiki is an artisan, author, and instructor from Fez, Morocco. He holds a Master’s degree in Moroccan Cultural Studies from Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdellah University, with a focus on Moroccan crafts. Growing up in Fez, Hamza learned traditional Moroccan geometric patterns, brass engraving, and bookbinding from his father.
Hamza has travelled to 16 countries, sharing and teaching Moroccan culture. He also provides academic consulting on Moroccan arts through CraftDraft.org, the educational craft studio he founded, which operates in both Fez and Portsmouth, England, where he currently lives.
Ahmed Bennani is a self-taught multidisciplinary artist, born in 1976, who lives and works in Fez. Like many children, Ahmed first discovered drawing and its techniques in school, and he quickly developed a passion for imitating the world around him.
Growing up in Fez, he saw his hometown as a treasure trove, full of vibrant colours, intricate shapes, and textures that came from the city’s traditional handicrafts. These elements – intertwining lines, curves, and rich textures – shaped his artistic journey and allowed his talent to flourish in this magical environment.
Carina Hommel Born in 1987, Carina Hommel is a freelance artist and art educator from Germany. She focuses on projects that connect art and social work, especially in the Ruhr Area. As a member of “Studio Horst e.V.,” Carina helps create art projects that bring positive change to the community.
She has worked in various settings, from prisons to projects that support marginalised groups by giving them a voice through art. In her own work, she uses different genres and techniques, such as film, video mapping, sculpture, painting, and cyanotype.
Sofia Mellino is a multi-award-winning audiovisual professional from Argentina. She specialised in Audiovision at UNLa and holds a postgraduate degree in film editing from the London Film School (LFS). Sofia has participated in research residencies and courses across South America, Germany, France, and the UK, focusing on both traditional and immersive media formats and their impact on post-production workflows.
Over the past nine years, Sofia has won seven international awards, received two postgraduate scholarships, and was awarded the Gründerstipendium NRW in 2019 to launch her company, SyncPhonia U.G. In 2021, she was recognized as one of the “Top 90 Female Argentinian Visual Artists.”
Wafae Belarbi is a professor and director at the Euromed School of Architecture, Design, and Urbanism at the Euromed University of Fez. Since 2012, she has been a professor at the National School of Architecture (ENA) in Rabat, where she played a key role in reforming architectural education in Morocco. Wafae is also involved in the doctoral studies program at ENA and has taught at the doctoral school of the National Institute of Urban Planning.
She is an active member of the “Habitat, Architecture, and Urbanization of Territories” research lab at ENA and part of the doctoral studies centre at Euromed. At EMADU, she teaches architecture studio courses and supervises several PhD theses.
Cristine Macrondes Based in Portugal, Cris is an experienced Brazilian dancer, actress, and dance teacher, as well as a choreographer and researcher of traditional African and Indigenous cultures. She creates works in dance, theatre, and performance, and teaches courses on physical theatre and ancestral dances. Cris also leads ritual dance retreats in Europe, Morocco, and Brazil.
As part of the APA (Actor’s Research Studio), Cris explored new techniques in physical theatre. She is the creator of the Aguadeiras Project, a multidisciplinary project combining video art, performing arts, and ritual art, all centred around the theme of water. This project aims to raise awareness about the planet and all its living beings through performances, discussions, and workshops.
The Aguadeiras Project debuted in 2021 at the International Gathering of Water (USA, online) and has since participated in festivals and events in Spain, Portugal, and Germany.
Philip Kojo Metz Philip Kojo Metz, born to a Ghanaian father and German mother, is a visual artist known for exploring themes of identity and colonial history. He studied photo design in Munich and later pursued sculpting, becoming a Master’s student of Olaf Metzel. His work has earned several prestigious awards, including the Danner Prize and the Reinhart Wolf Prize.
Metz gained international recognition for his piece SORRYFORNOTHING, a sculpture exhibited at the Humboldt Forum as a reflection on colonial history. His art invites reflection on memory, identity, and the need for a revised approach to historical education.
M’hammed Kilito is a documentary photographer and National Geographic Explorer based in Rabat. Represented by VII Photo and Gowen Gallery, his work focuses on the relationships people have with their environments, exploring themes like cultural identity, labor, and climate change.
Kilito holds degrees in Political Science from the University of Montreal and Ottawa University. His work has earned numerous awards, including the World Press Photo Foundation Prize and National Geographic Society Explorer Grant. His photography has been exhibited globally and featured in prominent publications like The Washington Post and Vogue Italia.
He is also a co-founder of KOZ, a collective of Moroccan visual artists focused on long-term storytelling projects.
Jessica El-Mal is a curator, artist, and writer based between Manchester, London, and Morocco. She is the founder and co-director of A.MAL Projects, an initiative that connects art and research between North Africa and Europe. She also works as the curator of visual arts at The Arab British Centre and is currently pursuing her PhD at Leeds University.
Jessica’s work focuses on interaction, collaboration, and resistance in art and media, using these tools to imagine new ways of shaping the world. She brings decolonial, feminist, and queer ideas from theory into practice, and her curatorial projects grow from this approach.
Mélodie Gimard Mélodie Gimard is a Franco-Spanish pianist and composer celebrated for blending classical music and flamenco. Her musical journey began with international performances in her mother’s folk music and dance company. She later honed her skills at the Conservatory of Perpignan, studying piano, chamber music, accompaniment, and Spanish dance. A major milestone was her move to Barcelona, where she became the first pianist to obtain a master’s degree in Flamenco performance from the Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya (ESMUC) in 2016.
This fusion of classical training and flamenco fueled her passion for composition and arranging, incorporating influences from folk and jazz. Gimard has earned numerous awards, including from the Concurs de Joves Intèrprets de Catalunya and the Concurs de Música de Cambra de l’Arjau. She has collaborated with flamenco artists like Karen Lugo and Alfredo Tejada, and arranged for Naike Ponce’s tribute to Paco de Lucía.
In 2020, she released her acclaimed album NUMEN, showcasing her innovative style. Gimard also composes for dance, silent films, and multimedia projects. Active in feminist initiatives like LAS OPINÓLOGAS, her recent solo piano work, Confidencias, reflects her personal search for musical essence
Martí Corbera(Barcelona, 1997) is a performer and choreographer who blends, in his particular dance, his experience in flamenco with other artistic disciplines such as musical composition, text and performance. After graduating in Spanish dance at the Institut del Teatre, he took off as part of the company Flamencos en Route, in Switzerland, and later in the Ballet Flamenco de Andalucía, under the direction of Estévez y Paños.
He has collaborated hand in hand with multiple flamenco artists in projects that bring awareness and artistic discourse to this genre, such as with Patricia Guerrero in ‘Deliranza’, Sara Jiménez in ‘Adioses’, Karen Lugo in ‘fatuo’. His interest in the understanding of the body and its expression has been nurtured in his prolific relationship with the scenic director Juan Kruz Díaz de Garaio Esnaola, in works such as ‘lll’ with Midori Seiler, ‘Dans du Soleil’ with Geneva Camerata Orchestra. He currently collaborates with musicians and visual artists on his own creations, pivoting between Barcelona and Berlin.
Benjamin Bēni picked up his first camera at the age of 7, a small foldable Minolta that sparked a lifelong passion. Starting with portrait photography, his work eventually took him around the world. After training at MJM Paris from 1999 to 2002, Benjamin began working in luxury and fashion photography, where he honed his skills in combining technical precision with creativity. He gained further experience at Harcourt studio and through collaborations with brands like LVMH and France Télévision.
Luana Gomes Gibson for her art form likely stems from its alignment with the belief that God’s essence and beauty manifest in all things. Her chosen artform allows her to channel this profound connection, translating it into tangible expressions of divine beauty through geometric ceramic creations.
Luana lived in India and frequently travels to Morocco she has appreciation for a diverse artistic influences. Immersed in the rich artistry and craftsmanship of these cultures, they have created a tapestry of inspiration for her.
