Marrakech – DS Automobiles celebrated Morocco’s artistic excellence with an intimate evening at Jenan Mayshad in Marrakech on Thursday. The sophisticated soirée brought together the country’s creative community to honor the three laureates of the DS ART TALENTS program’s third edition.
The evening featured a cocktail reception starting at 5 p.m., allowing guests to engage with the award-winning artists. The celebration concluded with a live performance by Jubantouja at 7 p.m., creating what organizers described as a warm atmosphere of cultural collaboration.
Houda Rahmouni, Younes Saden, and Ahmed Maagouz emerged as this year’s winners in photography, painting, and design, respectively. Their selection was based on the coherence of their artistic paths and the narrative strength of their work. The program operates under the artistic direction of Myriem Himmich.
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The winners have now embarked on an exclusive artistic residency at Jenan Mayshad, an oasis chosen for its calm energy and aesthetic richness. It is here that they are receiving inspiration, curatorial guidance, and personalized artistic mentorship, refining their visions ahead of the program’s highly anticipated final exhibition.
This residency will culminate in a flagship exhibition organized by DS Morocco in 2026.
Younes Saden: Exploring human-nature relationships
Younes Saden, the painting prize winner, spoke to Morocco World News (MWN) about his artistic journey and current work during the residency. “My artistic path has been built around a sensitive observation of our society,” Saden explained. “As a child, I loved drawing and creating, a passion I later developed through research and meeting artists at openings and exhibitions.”
Saden’s work embraces what he calls “deliberately unfinished minimalism.” He captures emotions and figures within Moroccan urban spaces. “I like to explore the contrasts between modernity and tradition, between sadness and joy, like a dialogue between yesterday and today,” he said.
During the residency, Saden has focused on exploring the relationship between humans and nature. His current work features men, women, and children in their environment, incorporating new reflections on preserving natural heritage. “Color and material will follow this approach to respond to the upcoming artists’ exhibition,” he noted.
The residency has provided Saden with an opportunity to advance his research in an inspiring environment. “I had the opportunity to work in an incredible atmosphere, surrounded by inspiring artists where poetry and spirituality nourished our creative energy,” he told MWN.
Houda Rahmouni: Challenging urban transformation through photography
Photography prize winner Houda Rahmouni began her artistic journey at age six with photography before exploring painting, cinema, and installation art. Speaking to MWN, she described her eventual return to her original medium. “There was perhaps a return to the source, to what I began with: photography. That is what I am exploring in this residency.”
Rahmouni creates surrealist photography, a practice she has been developing throughout the week-long intensive program. “Being here in Marrakech, within this residency, has been an intense experience. We’ve had days filled with exchange, creation, and self-questioning,” she explained.
The residency allowed Rahmouni to advance a series examining the rapid transformation of urban landscapes. She focuses on how urbanization smooths out and sometimes erases the visual identity of cities. “I am interested in the ‘rectangularization’ of territory: the proliferation of cement, repetitive architecture, and the disappearance of organic forms,” she said.
Her work captures urban islands or pockets of land that become witnesses to what is fading away. Through photography, drawing, printmaking, and sometimes concrete, she attempts to capture tensions between what we build, what we forget, and what endures.
Rahmouni addressed the challenge of distinguishing her work from AI-generated images. “During this residency, the way I chose to differentiate myself from what AI can produce was to physically print the image and intervene on it,” she explained. “I will be working with cement applied directly onto photographs printed on paper. There will be this human intervention that AI simply cannot replicate.”
The artist noted her appreciation for the residency experience. “This residency allowed me to dedicate a moment entirely to my art – to think about it from morning to night, to explore what I can develop, and how my vision can evolve within such inspiring surroundings,” she told MWN.
Ahmed Maagouz: Breathing new life into forgotten materials
Design prize winner Ahmed Maagouz spoke to MWN about his approach to sustainable design and storytelling through materials. His winning piece exemplifies his philosophy of reusing materials and giving them a second life.
“For this competition, I chose a very simple approach for my design piece. This approach was to reuse wood and give it a second life,” Maagouz explained. The wood came from a beam recovered from an abandoned riad in Salé, which he reworked into a design piece that tells a story.
Maagouz believes materials carry history and energy. “This wood has lived stories inside that riad; it had witnessed countless scenes unfold beneath that roof. And this piece of furniture carries all that energy and all that history through the wood itself,” he said.
The designer described the residency as an opportunity for creative growth and learning. “We are here to meet people – great Moroccan master artists, curators, artists from different fields, poets, and musicians. We are here to learn techniques, to get inspired, to explore new techniques, and to nourish ourselves creatively.”
The residency also serves as preparation for future work. Maagouz confirmed he is initiating a new project as part of a series of works that will be exhibited at the 2026 DS Morocco flagship event.
Brand commitment to Moroccan arts
Mehdi Laghazaoui, Head of DS Automobiles in Morocco, spoke to MWN about the brand’s commitment to supporting local artistic talent. “We are super pleased to support Moroccan art. We have the same values as DS. DS is about luxury, it’s about art de vivre, refinement. It’s about legacy also,” he said.
DS Automobiles operates as a premium French automotive manufacturer within the Stellantis group. The brand originated as Citroën’s premium line between 2009 and 2014 before gaining independence as a standalone marque. The company’s first official presentation took place at the Geneva Motor Show on March 3, 2015.
The brand has developed its global presence since 2014, introducing the distinctive “DS Wings” grille as its signature styling element. DS Automobiles launched the DS 7 Crossback in 2017 as its first entirely self-designed vehicle, followed by the DS 3 Crossback in 2019, the DS 9 in late 2020, and the second-generation DS 4 in late 2021.
Since 2021, the company has offered its entire range in E-Tense electric or plug-in hybrid versions. The brand presented the N°8 model in late 2024.
DS Automobiles maintains its presence in Formula E through the DS Techeetah Formula E Team, which has secured both driver and constructor titles twice.
Laghazaoui confirmed the brand’s annual commitment to the arts program. “We want to make this event on a yearly basis. This is the third year in a row, so we are looking forward to the fourth year,” he said.
The brand executive praised Moroccan artistic talent. “We enjoy seeing that Moroccan people, Moroccan artists have so much to show and they have so much to give to the world and to Morocco. The brand is now super honored to be in contact with these young artists, and we are eager to have more of this in the near future, in 2026.”
The DS ART TALENTS program represents DS Automobiles’ ongoing investment in Morocco’s cultural landscape, providing emerging artists with professional development opportunities and international exposure through the residency and exhibition program.
