Institut du Monde Arabe, Paris: Vive la mariée !
Vive la mariée !, organized by the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris, explores marriage as a vibrant and evolving social ritual across the Maghreb. Bringing together approximately forty historic costumes and adornments from Moroccan, Algerian, and Tunisian collections with works by 27 contemporary artists from the region and its diasporas, the exhibition examines the traditions, symbolism, craftsmanship, and communal practices surrounding marriage.
Featured in the exhibition, are three photographs by Lazhar Mansouri on loan from Westwood Gallery NYC. Throughout the mid-20th century, Mansouri operated a photography studio in the back of a grocery store in Aïn Beïda (Aurés Mountains region, Northern Algeria). Mansouri’s studio served thousands of Algerians' photographic needs, ranging from ID card photos to documentation of family occasions, including weddings, births, children, graduations, and portraits of families and friends.
Vive la mariée !
Institut du Monde Arabe, Paris
September 29 – February 28, 2026
From the Institut du Monde Arabe
Translated from French
Marriage is a pivotal moment in the personal and social lives of women and men worldwide. In the Maghreb, this event is celebrated with great pomp and ceremony, as it is an opportunity to build community by coming together in shared joy. Indeed, one of the words for marriage is farah, meaning "joy" in Arabic.
The exhibition is organized around heritage works and will present a selection of some forty costumes and adornments never before shown in France, drawn from Moroccan, Algerian, and Tunisian collections. These exceptional pieces, dating from the 19th to the 20th centuries , celebrate the bride and the women around her, while highlighting national and regional specificities, the richness of heritage, and shared practices, particularly between Muslims and Jews. The evolution of the costume, the persistence and specificity of the rituals, the symbolism, and the prophylactic aspect are all subjects explored.
Focusing on the bride, but also on the role of women in these celebrations—from assembling the trousseau to making the garments and accompanying the bride—the exhibition also seeks to juxtapose these heritage works with the perspectives of artists, thus shedding light on contemporary societal continuities and evolutions.
To capture the essence of these celebrations in all their diversity, the exhibition, mirroring these rare and exceptional collections, gives voice to twenty-seven contemporary artists, primarily women, from Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, and their diasporas. They offer their subjective perspectives on this important moment in social and personal life, guiding us through the codified stages of marriage and helping us understand what these ritual celebrations reveal about the societies that practice them today.
The exhibition " Long Live the Bride!", organized at the Arab World Institute (IMA) as part of the Mediterranean Season implemented by the French Institute, explores marriage as a constantly evolving social ritual. Some artists celebrate the traditions and moments of collective joy that these celebrations allow, questioning the legacy of these traditions and their enduring presence. Others contextualize certain marriage practices within the societies that practice them and the ideologies they convey.
Blending heritage objects, artistic creations, archives and an immersive scenography to enhance the material and immaterial dimensions (dances, music, costumes, food...) of this cultural heritage, the exhibition will be accompanied by a rich cultural and mediation program, inaugurated by a grand parade under the artistic direction of Mohamed Bourouissa, the festive procession “Tell me about your wedding”.
The artists exhibited:
Maïssane Alibrahimi, Héla Ammar, Daoud Aoulad-Syad, Ismaël Bazri, Souhila Bel Bahar, Valérie Belin, Sabrina Belouaar, Carolle Bénitah, Jean Besancenot, Meriem Bouderbala, Kenza Bousseloub, Dora Dalila Cheffi, Abdel Djalel Chib, Margaux Derhy, Khadija el Abyad, Ymane Fakhir, Djamel Farès, Fatna Gbouri, Abdelaziz Gorgi, Farida Hamak, Yves Jeanmougin, Sophia Kacimi, Mouna Karray, Fela Kefi Leroux, Ghalia Kriaa, Amira Lamti, Lazhar Mansouri, Yasmina Ouahid, Sara Ouhaddou, Shourouk Rhaiem, Ghizlane Sahli, Ridha Zili
