Casablanca, the economic capital of Morocco, is celebrating from the 1st to the 15th of April 2015 the Billboard Festival which occupies 63 billboards in the "non-sleeping" city. The billboards caught the attention of so many people from different ages and cultures.
The 15 days period will be a pure honor for the Moroccan culture, Moroccan photographers AND Nordic contemporary women artists. The exhibited "Master-Peaces" will for sure bring a certain spirit to the city and will distress the active population of Casablanca by making'em focus more on the content of the billboards which will change the commercial basic billboards to what we have been used to (especially in the commercial capital of Morocco).
The Billboard Festival is more of a challenge targeting to change our view about the urban space, stereotypes about identity and most important about women, who are given the opportunity in the festival to make their voices heard and express their inner artist in order to make the city a better environment for creativity.
The festival-project is the approach of the Copenhagen based visual artist Hanne Lise Thomsen known for her projects in public spaces including The Billboard project Women2003 in Copenhagen.
Last but not least, the Billboard Festival Casablanca 2015 is a brand new Nordic-Arabic project looking forward to promoting Moroccan and Scandinavian Women artists on the most crowded streets of Casablanca to show the world a "friendship" between Moroccan and Scandinavia quoted "The Beginning of a Beautiful Friendship".
An event is going to take place in Casablanca following the festival with artist talks, video projections, performances and panel debates.
The Billboard Festival team put up a website (Click HERE) where you can find a map that shows the exact emplacements of each billboard, names of the artists + their works.
PARTICIPATING ARTISTS:
From Scandinavia:
Anette Abrahamsson (SE), Jeanne Betak (DK), Katja Bjørn (DK) Yvette Brackman (DK) Christina Capetillo (DK), Sidse Carstens (DK), Charlotte Haslund-Christensen (DK), The Icelandic Love Corporation (IS), Hilda Ekeroth (SE), Maria Finn (SE), Fryd Frydendahl (DK); Gudrun Hasle (DK), Ane Henriksen (DK), Ditte Haarløv Johnsen (DK), Kirsten Justesen (DK), Lene Adler Petersen (DK), Lilibeth Cuenca Rasmussen (DK), Jytte Rex (DK), Aurora Reinhard (FI), Beathe C.Rønning (NO), Christel Sverre (NO), Jeanette Sætre (NO) Hanne Lise Thomsen (DK), Charlotte Troldahl (DK).
From Morocco:
Rita Alaoui, Leila Alaoui, Zineb Andress Arraki, Myriem Baadi, Aïcha El Beloui, Carolle Benitah, Yasmina Benabderrahmane, Hind Bensari, Deborah Benzaquen, Siham Achari Berrada, Celine Croze, Safaa Erruas, Soukeina Hachem, Yasmine Hajji, Soukaïna Aziz El Idrissi, Maria Kabbaj, Zahrin Kahlo, Wafae Ahalouch el Keriasti, Jamila Lamrani, Randa Maroufi, Safaa Mazirh, Fatima Mazmouz, Zara Samiry, Bouanani Touda, Fatiha Zemmouri
Students from The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, Copenhagen:
Kinga Bartis (HU), Biba Fibiger (DK), Una Gunnarsdottir (IS), Nike Åkerberg (SE), Anne Kristin Kristiansen (D), Coline Marotta (F), Radmila Jovovic (SRB), Anna Sjöström (SV).
Students from École Superieure des Beaux Arts, Casablanca:
Amal Bachkata, Zainab Má, Khawla Lasfar, Kaghat Malak, Houda Quali Sabriv, Zineb EL Ouardi.