In Morocco, artists from different backgrounds have transformed the buildings of Rabat into giant canvases.
This was during the 11th "JIDAR Rabat Street Art Festival". Ecuadorian artist Oscar Medina was among the artists invited to the event.
The paintings range from a giant bird holding the sun and moon to a mysterious portrait, and include scenes of the African bush and icons of life in Morocco.
“My working method involves systematically using sketches that I make almost every day, and then creating small collages from these sketches. So, when I learned that I was coming here to Morocco, I created a kind of collage from sketches I had already made before. The general idea is to talk about travel, nature, and the elements that shape us all as human beings.” – Oscar Medina (Azpeger), Ecuadorian street artist.
In another mural, South African artist Keya Tama decided to paint a large lion in the center of a building surrounded by greenery.
"In Africa in general, this is just the beginning, and there is a positive aspect to this: all those who have taken up mural painting and achieved success have done so first and foremost out of love for this art. I think that the level of community, sincerity and communication that shines through their art really occupies an important place in the global dialogue on art," explains the artist.
The organization of this type of festival has played an important role in showcasing Rabat, according to the festival's artistic director.
“We work on large-scale murals, which has paved the way for Moroccan street artists. Initially, there wasn’t really a street art community in Morocco, but over the years, and thanks to festivals dedicated to this type of art, a significant community of Moroccan artists has emerged. This has also had a strong impact on how society perceives street art in Morocco,” said Salaheddine Malouli, artistic director of the “Jidar Rabat Street Art Festival.”
In total, 15 murals are spread across different areas of the city, transforming Rabat into an open-air gallery, where all styles are accessible to everyone.
