<Street art festival transforms Morocco's capital into open-air gallery — Art News
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article local calendar_today Thursday, April 23, 2026

Street art festival transforms Morocco's capital into open-air gallery

The 11th JIDAR Rabat Street Art Festival has transformed Morocco's capital into an open-air gallery, with artists from Ecuador, South Africa, Peru, Russia, and Morocco painting large-scale murals on buildings. Works include Oscar Medina's bird clutching the sun and moon, Keya Tama's lion with Arabic script, and Mohamed Roshdi's portrait of a woman holding fish. The festival runs until 27 April.

The festival matters because it has helped build a street art community in Morocco, changing societal perceptions of the art form. With over 100 murals created across Rabat since its inception, JIDAR demonstrates how public art can foster cultural exchange and urban revitalization in a North African capital.