When Harry Gruyaert first visited Morocco in 1969, it was love at first sight. On every return visit, he has tried to relive that initial feeling of enchantment, the splendid harmony between form and color, people, and nature.
From the High Atlas Mountains to the desert, from rural areas to the bustling streets of Marrakech and Essaouira, Gruyaert’s photographs take us on a dreamlike cinematic journey through a reality that is nonetheless highly physical, its textures shaped by light and shadow. Each image has its own power, and all of them reflect the importance of family, community, and faith to the people of Morocco, as well as Gruyaert’s own innate curiosity and desire to understand different realities.
Reviews
A striking visual ode to the people and landscapes of Morocco… Gathered from the author's visits to the country beginning in the 1970s, the collection includes images of grand expanses bathed in high-intensity reds, oranges, and yellow ochres; sparsely peopled scenes that are as mysterious as a de Chirico painting; walls cast with enormous, perspective-skewing shadows that diminish the human figures next to them; and women whose faces are turned away from the camera, resulting in a wonderfully disorienting effect where silhouettes coalesce into abstract forms… It's a captivating peek into an enigmatic country.
— Publishers Weekly
Contributors
Harry Gruyaert
Author
Harry Gruyaert is a Belgian photographer known for his images of India, Morocco, Egypt, and the west of Ireland, and for his use of color. He is a member of Magnum Photos, and his work has been exhibited widely and won the Kodak Prize.
