HIBA BADDOU
EN
Hiba Baddou (born March 1, 1997, in Rabat, Morocco) is a Moroccan filmmaker, photographer, painter, performer, and art director. Deeply inspired by her native Morocco, she developed an early passion for storytelling through various forms of visual expression. Her work explores themes of identity, ritual, and language, fusing retro-futuristic aesthetics with Moroccan cultural influences.
After obtaining a degree in filmmaking from the International Film School (EICAR) in Paris in 2018—where she won the EICAR Award for Best Direction and Best Cinematography for her graduation film—Hiba furthered her education with a master’s in Art Direction at Penninghen. From 2019 to 2023, she refined a distinct visual approach, earning a special mention and the Jury Prize presided over by Jean Charles de Castelbajac.
As a painter, she has exhibited her work in several prestigious institutions, including Bab El Kebir in Rabat under the auspices of the Moroccan Ministry of Culture and the Institut Français, as well as the Villa des Arts in both Rabat and Casablanca. Her career as a filmmaker has likewise been distinguished by the success of her project Paraboles, a multidisciplinary work focused on the impact of imagery and immigration. This project won the first prize at the AVIFF Art Film Festival in 2024 and received an Honorable Mention at the New York Experimental Film Festival. Selected for the Dakar Biennale 2024, Paraboles will be exhibited at the MACAAL (Museum of Contemporary African Art Al Maaden) in Marrakech in October 2025.
Alongside her personal work, Hiba has collaborated as an art director with renowned musicians such as David August, Manu Chao, Keziah Jones, and Amadou & Mariam, creating original album covers and visual identities. Her passion for calligraphy and artistic improvisation, often inspired by music, has led to live performances at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London and Aktionhaus in Berlin.
Global Winner of the Art for Change Prize at the Saatchi Gallery in London in 2024, Hiba continues to push the boundaries of contemporary art, blending photography, painting, film, and performance to explore the role of imagery and tradition in the modern world.
FR
Hiba Baddou (née le 1er mars 1997 à Rabat, Maroc) est une cinéaste, photographe, peintre, performeuse et directrice artistique marocaine. Inspirée par sa terre natale, le Maroc, elle développe très tôt une passion pour la narration à travers différentes formes d'expression visuelles. Elle explore les thèmes de l'identité, des rituels et des langues, en fusionnant esthétique rétrofuturiste et influences culturelles marocaines.
Après avoir obtenu un diplôme d'auteur réalisateur à l'École Internationale de Cinéma (EICAR) à Paris en 2018, où elle a remporté le Prix EICAR de la meilleure mise en scène et de la meilleure photographie pour son court métrage de fin d'étude, Hiba a poursuivi sa formation avec un master en direction artistique à Penninghen. De 2019 à 2023, elle y a développé une approche visuelle unique, récompensée par une mention spéciale et le Prix du jury présidé par Jean Charles de Castelbajac.
En tant que peintre, elle a exposé dans plusieurs institutions prestigieuses, notamment à Bab El Kebir à Rabat, sous le patronage du Ministère Marocain de la Culture et de l'Institut Français, ainsi qu'aux Villas des Arts de Rabat et Casablanca. Sa carrière de réalisatrice a également été marquée par le succès de son projet Paraboles, une œuvre multidisciplinaire centrée sur l'impact des images sur l'immigration. Ce projet a remporté le premier prix au AVIFF Art Film Festival 2024 et une mention d'honneur au Festival du Film Expérimental de New York. Sélectionné pour l’exposition internationale de la Biennale de Dakar en 2024, Paraboles sera exposé au MACAAL (Musée Africain d’Art Contemporain Al Maaden) à Marrakech en Octobre 2025.
En parallèle de son travail personnel, Hiba a collaboré en tant que directrice artistique avec des musiciens de renom, tels que David August, Manu Chao, Keziah Jones et Amadou et Mariam, créant des pochettes d'album et des identités visuelles originales. Sa passion pour la calligraphie et l'improvisation artistique, souvent inspirée par la musique, a donné lieu à des performances en direct à l'Institut d'Art Contemporain de Londres et à Aktionhaus à Berlin.
Lauréate Mondiale du Prix Art for Change de la Saatchi Gallery de Londres en 2024, Hiba continue de repousser les frontières de l'art contemporain en mêlant photographie, peinture, film et performance, tout en interrogeant la place des images et des traditions dans le monde moderne.
update : 04/2025
EXHIBITIONS, AWARDS AND FESTIVALS
10/2025 - 01/2026: SOLO SHOW AT MACAAL (Museum of Contemporary African Art Al Maaden) IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE FRENCH INSTITUTE OF MOROCCO, MARRAKECH, MOROCCO
11/2024 - 01/2025: GLOBAL WINNER - ART FOR CHANGE PRIZE, EXHIBITION AT
SAATCHI GALLERY, LONDON, UK
11-12/2024: INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION, BIENNALE DE DAKAR, Curated by Salimata Diop, DAKAR, SENEGAL
10-12/2024: GROUP SHOW - SALON OF CASABLANCA FOR EMERGING CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS, Villa des Arts, CASABLANCA, MOROCCO
09/2024: GROUP SHOW & NOMINATION FOR THE MUSTAQBAL PRIZE, TGCC FOUNDATION, CASABLANCA, MOROCCO
05/2024: FIRST PRIZE IN OFFICIAL COMPETITION FOR “PARABOLES” AT CANNES ART FILM FESTIVAL (AVIFF), FRANCE
05/10/2024: LIVE CALLIGRAPHY PERFORMANCE - MUSIC BY DAVID AUGUST, ICA (INSTITUTE OF CONTEMPORARY ARTS), LONDON, UK
20/04/2024: LIVE CALLIGRAPHY PERFORMANCE - MUSIC BY DAVID AUGUST, 99CHANTS NIGHT, AKTIONHAUS, BERLIN, GERMANY
01/2024: OFFICIAL SELECTION & COMPETITION FOR “PARABOLES” AT SNOWDANCE FILM FESTIVAL, ESSEN, GERMANY
09/2024: HONORABLE MENTION FOR “PARABOLES” AT NEW YORK EXPERIMENTAL FILM FESTIVAL, USA
06/2023: OFFICIAL SELECTION & COMPETITION FOR “PARABOLES” AT LES NUITS MÉDITERRANÉENNES FESTIVAL, CORSICA, FRANCE
05-08/2023: STREET ART & HERITAGE EXHIBITION 10/10 BY AL MADA FOUNDATION, CASABLANCA AND RABAT, MOROCCO
Group exhibition and live performance at the Villas des Arts in Casablanca and Rabat, sponsored by the Al Mada Foundation in partnership with ArtFirst Gallery (May 8 - July 15, 2023).
01/2023: EXHIBITION & LIVE PERFORMANCE AT REFUGE WORLDWIDE RADIO, BERLIN, GERMANY
Exhibition and live painting performance to raise funds for the Iranian women's support organization Woman, Life, Freedom at Refuge Worldwide Radio in Berlin.
05-07/2022: PHOTO EXHIBITION “POINTS DE VUE”, ABLA ABABOU GALLERY, RABAT, MOROCCO
10-11/2021: SOLO SHOW “OSMOSES” IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE MINISTRY OF CULTURE AND THE FRENCH INSTITUTE OF RABAT, AT BAB EL KÉBIR, MOROCCO
Painting exhibition sponsored by Mehdi Qotbi, artist and President of the Moroccan Museum Foundation. Exhibition art direction and scenography by myself.
ART DIRECTION
2023-2024: IMAGE ART DIRECTOR AT BECAUSE MUSIC
Art direction and visual concepts for Manu Chao, Amadou & Mariam, Les Liminanas, Keziah Jones, Brand Brauer Frick. Visual support for Camille, Magenta Club, Justice.
07-10/2024: ART DIRECTION FOR FADED, UPCOMING ALBUM BY LES LIMINANAS
05-07/2024: ART DIRECTION FOR THE ALBUM ALIVE & KICKING BY KEZIAH JONES, INCLUDING ARTWORK & PRESS PHOTOS
04-05/2024: ART DIRECTION AND CURATION OF AMADOU & MARIAM’S BEST OF, WITH ARTWORK BY JP MIKA (Courtesy of Galerie Magnin-A)
2023-2024: ART DIRECTION AND CREATION OF THE VISUAL IDENTITY FOR THE ALBUM VIVA TU BY MANU CHAO, IN COLLABORATION WITH DEL NUNES
02/2024: ART DIRECTION AND CREATION OF THE ARTWORK FOR THE SINGLE MOGOLU BY AMADOU & MARIAM
01/2024: VISUAL CONCEPT AND CREATION OF THE ARTWORK FOR THE PIANO RELEASE MULTI-FAITH PRAYER ROOM BY BRAND BRAUER FRICK
FREELANCE
2022-2023: COLLABORATION AND CREATION OF THE IMAGINARY ALPHABET FOR THE ALBUM VĪS BY DAVID AUGUST, BERLIN
Art direction, typography work, and creation of an imaginary alphabet concept for VIS inspired by David August's music: album cover, creation of an artbook, adaptations across various media, video, and merchandising.
04-08/2022: ART DIRECTION FOR ACNE ADVERTISING, STOCKHOLM
Art direction, graphic design, editing, and motion design for the Stockholm Museum of Modern Art, The Every, Netflix, Spotify, TikTok, Zalando...
BRAND COLLA-BORATIONS
2023-2024: HIBA (OSMOSES) x ARK WINES
Creation of illustrated labels for the wine brand Ark Wines, London, UK
STUDIES
2019-2023: MASTER'S DEGREE IN ART DIRECTION AT PENNINGHEN, PARIS
2019-2023: Degree with Special Mention / Jury Prize awarded by Jean Charles de Castelbajac
2018-2019: Foundation Year (Applied Arts)
2015-2018: BACHELOR'S DEGREE IN FILMMAKING AT THE INTERNATIONAL FILM SCHOOL (EICAR), PARIS
2018: EICAR PRIZE for Best Direction and Best Cinematography for “Cité” (graduation film)
2012-2015: HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA IN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL SCIENCES AT LYCEE DESCARTES, RABAT, MOROCCO