Travel Book: Morocco by Marcel Dzama

Known for his compelling ink and watercolor drawings, the Manitoba-born, New York City-based artist has nurtured an aesthetic dialogue with a range of influences such as Dadaism or the Bauhaus. For his Louis Vuitton Travel Book assignment in Morocco, Dzama consciously put himself in the position of a discoverer, taking a keen interest in everything around him. Dzama’s sketchbook was his constant companion on his trip, exploring both the day‑to‑day lives of the Morrocan people, with their customs and traditions, but also the impressive variety of landscapes, from seashores to deserts and mountain ranges. He sought to capture the movements of figures in action just as he surrendered to the power and immensity of emptiness, entirely enchanted by the effects of light and enveloping colors.

“For this project, I tried to offer a balance between the representation and the reality of what I saw, all the while moving it toward abstraction or perhaps a touch of surrealism.” – Marcel Dzama

The Louis Vuitton Travel Book series sends renowned artists and promising young talents from around the world to destinations previously unknown to them. Through whatever form of expression they choose, and whether exploring remote wildernesses or cities that never sleep, each artist confronts an unfamiliar place sharpened by the surprise of the unknown or stimulated by the pleasure of rediscovery.