African project
Art in Morocco
Visitors and passersby are
encouraged to view the once
neglected site as a living canvas
that changes throughout the day
as light passes across it.
F
ollowing his recent intervention in Spain — where he realized a monumental
mural within a converted church-turned-skate park — Okuda San Miguel
(above), has completed a new project in Youssoufia, Morocco. On the façade
of an abandoned church, the Spanish artist has painted “11 mirages to the
freedom”, a fresco which wraps the building’s exterior on all sides. 11 faces
have been vibrantly illustrated on the surface of the structure, each interacting
with the architecture of the site. Window frames become crowns placed atop
the characters’ heads, and bars are turned into cages for small birds in flight.
In keeping with his signature aesthetic, Okuda San Miguel has painted the
abstract figures using a palette of highly saturated hues. Coloured triangles form the faces
of animals, birds, and headless humans, placed on a backdrop of bright yellow, red, green
and blue. On the front of the church, a bear on the left and a lion on the right surround the
original woo [