Thursday doors – 27 November 2025 – Marrakesh doors – Excursion to Anima Garden

Doors 334 – Doors and the gardens of Anima, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025 (Part XIV)

On our way home from the High Atlas mountains, we called in at the Anima gardens, an extraordinary place where a stunning collection of plants meets the creative artistic imagination of multi-media artist André Heller. This garden was one of the great highlights of our trip to Marrakesh. An oasis (almost literally) of cool shade in the middle of the parched arid landscape which was full of surprises around every corner.

The imaginative sculptures in the garden seemed to be perfectly at home despite their bright colours and quirkiness. The place was a feast for the eyes and a haven for birds and insects too. This was genuinely one of the best gardens I have visited in the world, and utterly unexpected. A must if visiting Marrakesh.

It is another week in which doors play second-fiddle to their surroundings, but I hope you enjoy the ensemble:

Entrance door to Anima, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025
Entrance door to Anima, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025
Colourful service doors, Anima, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025
Colourful service doors, Anima, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025
Eyes over a gateway, Anima, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025
Eyes over a gateway, Anima, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025
Desert plants, Anima, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025
Desert plants, Anima, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025
Desert plants, Anima, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025
Desert plants, Anima, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025
Garden staff door, Anima, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025
Garden staff door, Anima, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025
Face mask in the bushes, Anima, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025
Face mask in the bushes, Anima, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025
Large sculpture spraying a fine mist, Anima, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025
Large sculpture spraying a fine mist, Anima, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025
Wooden sculpture, Anima, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025
Wooden sculpture, Anima, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025
Colourful cone sculpture, Anima, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025
Colourful cone sculpture, Anima, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025
Palm trees in the garden, Anima, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025
Palm trees in the garden, Anima, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025
Another cone sculpture, Anima, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025
Another cone sculpture, Anima, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025
Open lawn in the garden at Anima, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025
Open lawn in the garden at Anima, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025
View of the High Atlas from the garden at Anima, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025
View of the High Atlas from the garden at Anima, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025
Classy cafe at Anima, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025
Classy cafe at Anima, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025
Fancy iron door, Anima, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025
Fancy iron door, Anima, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025
Large iron sculpture of a 'Yaz', a Berber symbol which appears on the Berber flag, Anima, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025
Large iron sculpture of a ‘Yaz’, a Berber symbol which appears on the Berber flag, Anima, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025

It has been fun digging out these pictures of the Anima garden, and I have shared far more than I intended for the purposes of Thursday Doors (a bit of a show-and-tell I’m afraid). Back to the city next time. Have a great weekend.

If you have made it this far, you probably like doors, and you really ought to take a look at the No Facilities blog by Dan Anton who has taken over the hosting of Thursday Doors from Norm 2.0 blog. Links to more doorscursions can be found in the comments section of Dan Anton’s weekly Thursday Doors post.

2321. M32 roundabout J3 (151)

I love this little piece in one of the tunnels of the M32 roundabout. It is by Face 1st, and although completely recognisable as his work, it is a shift away from his usual belle, and one that I love. It is characteristic of his branching out and exploring new ways to present his art.

Face 1st, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2019
Face 1st, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2019

It is the eyes that are the clue to the artist, they seem to have an anime appearance about them and are always most appealing. Although it is small and hidden I can’t help feeling that this is representative of the significant shift happening in Face 1st’s work right now.

767. Ashley Road (13)

Some real luck with this one. I was returning from dropping my niece off at Temple Meads station and deliberately drove home via a few graffiti spots, and whose work should I see on the hoardings at the top of Ashley Road…Silent Hobo.

Silent Hobo, Ashley Road, Bristol, April 2017
Silent Hobo, Ashley Road, Bristol, April 2017

I hadn’t seen or met him before so I wasn’t going to miss this chance and found a place to park and went to introduce myself. He was spraying with another artist who was working on the wildstyle writing in the middle of the piece. This was Logoe, who I was told by Silent Hobo is a celebrated Bristol graffiti artist from years gone by, and has just returned to the city – this is his first back since his homecoming.

Silent Hobo and Logoe, Ashley Road, Bristol, April 2017
Silent Hobo and Logoe, Ashley Road, Bristol, April 2017

Both were absolute gents and didn’t appear to mind me stopping to watch a while and chat a bit. I asked why Silent Hobo had appeared to have a break and was now, over recent weeks, churning out pieces very regularly…well it was all down to childcare…ah the freedom that childcare affords us parents.

Logoe, Ashley Road, Bristol, April 2017
Logoe, Ashley Road, Bristol, April 2017

The whole piece works well, I have always liked Silent Hobo’s anime influenced characters, and Logoe’s writing is a real treat.

Silent Hobo and Logoe, Ashley Road, Bristol, April 2017
Silent Hobo and Logoe, Ashley Road, Bristol, April 2017

The piece is in an area that tends to get very badly tagged very quickly – it will be interesting to see how long this lasts. So far it has survived two weeks unscathed – recognition of the status and quality of the work.

Silent Hobo and Logoe, Ashley Road, Bristol, April 2017
Silent Hobo and Logoe, Ashley Road, Bristol, April 2017
Silent Hobo and Logoe, Ashley Road, Bristol, April 2017
Silent Hobo and Logoe, Ashley Road, Bristol, April 2017