Culture & ArtsRabatFrescowall art

Street Art Transforms Morocco's Capital Into A Living Canvas

Street Art Transforms Morocco's Capital Into A Living Canvas
By 

Guest Writer

street art

Graffiti has been called many things: an urban scourge, a sign of civilization's breakdown, a petty crime.

But in Rabat, the city's residents are throwing their arms open to welcome a dizzying array of murals, frescoes and paintings by street artists, infusing the streets of Morocco's capital with new life.

The first annual Jidar Festival, held from May 15-24, 2015, is a celebration of public art. Artists from all over the world have converged on the seaside city, transforming Rabat itself into a canvas. This spring, splashes of unruly color peek out everywhere from under palm trees.

Below, take a look at the Jidar Festival's lush collection of urban art.

Artist: Inti - Chile
Anouar Oubnichou
A graduate of the School of Fine Arts in Vina del Mar, Chilean artist INTI is inspired by South American pop culture, pre-Columbian art and the contemporary history of his country.
Artist: Kalamour - Morocco
Anouar Oubnichou
Abdellatif Farhate, of Casablanca, paints under the name Kalamour. His creative process combines portraits, elements of sacred geometry and fantastic figures.
Artist: Cisco - Spain
Anouar Oubnichou
Cisco is a major figure in the Spanish graffiti scene. The tattoo artist features abstract works where the attitude and position of the character take precedence over realism.
Artist: Pixel Pancho - Italy
Anouar Oubnichou
Based in Turin, Pixel Pancho is famous for his gigantic murals of robotic creatures. He draws inspiration mainly from surrealist works by Salvador Dali and Impressionist Joaquín Sorolla.
Artist: C215 - France
Anouar Oubnichou
C215 leaves his mark wherever he goes. This stencil artist uses wild colors with extreme precision.
Artist: C215 - France
Anouar Oubnichou
Artist: Zepha - France
Anouar Oubnichou
A specialist in calligraphy, Zepha, aka Vincent Abadie Hafez Zepha, took part in the graffiti movement in France in the 1980s. His lyrical, geometric compositions catch the eye -- and the heart.
Artist: Jaz - Argentina
Anouar Oubnichou
Hailing from Argentina, Jaz started working on graffiti in 1999. Inspired by "Lucha Libre" (Mexican wrestling), his works depict colorful clashes between man and beast.
Artist: Simo Mouhim - Morocco
Anouar Oubnichou
A graduate of the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Casablanca in 2003, Simo Mouhim's graffiti is dominated by shades of gray.
Artist: Maya Hayuk - USA
Anouar Oubnichou
Ukrainian-American mural artist Maya Hayuk creates compositions that commingle geometric abstraction and riotous color.

Photos by Anouar Oubnichou

This article was originally published on HuffPost Morocco and was adapted for an American audience.

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