Wei Hsiang Liao Photography — Marrakesh

Artist statement

At the end of February 2025, I had the chance to visit Marrakesh. My first few days in Marrakesh felt overwhelming. It's an incredibly photogenic place. The harsh sunlight creates strong contrasts, and the buildings are mostly painted in warm tones like orange and red, which makes the environment feel even more vibrant and exotic. It sounds like a dream for street photographers, but in reality, most people don’t like being photographed and often make that very clear. Although people aren't usually the main subjects of my photography, it wasn’t always easy to avoid them in the crowded market areas. Countless times, someone would come up to me and ask me not to take their photo, even when I was actually photographing a building or a tree, and they just happened to pass by. At times, it really felt like playing hide and seek with my camera. And it was actually those moments that inspired this series, Hidden in Plain Sight.