Jidar dresses the walls of the capital
For several years now, Rabat has been one of the most street-art-friendly cities in the world. A place in the pantheon awarded by the reference platform Artsy. The capital of the kingdom rubs shoulders with world metropolises such as Los Angeles, Melbourne, Hong Kong, Lisbon, and Buenos Aires. ‘‘ In Morocco, art has been accessible on the streets and in public spaces since Ancient times with the zellige tiles, the meticulously carved woods, and the Arabic calligraphy that adorns the mosques and medinas of Rabat, Marrakech, Fez, and Casablanca”, wrote, in 2017, the very unique web site specializing in artistic news. The site covered the first editions of the Jidar -Rabat street art festival, in 2016. «This historic event brought artists from all over the world to paint alongside national talents… The geometry and calligraphic elements of traditional Islamic art were well represented alongside surreal figurative works” the site raved, because it was thanks to the Jidar festival that the city was able to rise to the rank of arty capital, referenced in the world. The event, which is now in its eighth edition, shall occupy the walls of the capital from May 18 to 28, 2023. Ten days during which nine artists from five countries will produce nine murals. Also on the program, as usual, a collective wall, screen printing workshops, an artistic residency, and talks, in addition to a cycle of guided tours. After two summer editions in 2021 and 2022, Jidar returns to its spring quarters. The ideal season to start strolling around the city again and discover its murals. The city now has more than one hundred of them, produced since the birth of the festival. ‘‘Now acclaimed by street artists around the world, Jidar has not deviated from its founding principles: to elevate urban cultures to the same rank as other artistic disciplines and to open the Moroccan public to new horizons, while creating the conditions for «a viable ecosystem for artists»’’, explain the organizers. In nine years, Jidar has helped give a new face to the city of Rabat. This ephemeral heritage will be enriched this year with works by Telmo, Miel, Sebas Velasco, Elisa Capdevil, Bezt, Alegria Del Prado, Med, Meriam Benkirane, and Machima. These big names in the international street art scene come from the Netherlands, Spain, Poland, Mexico, and Morocco. Their way of seeing the world will come to mingle with the Moroccan urban reality, promising beautiful encounters with the inhabitants of the city of Rabat. Jidar also invites aspiring muralists to learn alongside an experienced artist. Designed as a place of exchange and experimentation, without pressure to produce results, the collective wall is a highlight of the festival because it is where the next generation is formed. This year, the twelve selected candidates will be accompanied by the Moroccan street artist Dynam, from May 22 to May 28. The same unifying momentum animates the screen-printing workshops. o
A.Bo
