Fantasia

Dream

Artist: DAMSSILI (Mohamed Damssili)
Year: 2020
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 100 × 65 cm
Style: Orientalism

This painting shows the traditional Fantasia display, or Tbourida, regarded as a traditional folk art of my country.

It is a recognition and a definition of Moroccan folklore: the riders' outfits stand for several Moroccan cities that celebrate this tradition, to show the unity of folk art and Moroccan traditions.

Tbourida, Morocco's folk art on canvas

Fantasia, or Tbourida, is a traditional Moroccan equestrian art in which a line of riders gallops together and fires their muskets in a single volley. Tbourida was inscribed on UNESCO's list of intangible cultural heritage in 2021.

DAMSSILI's Fantasia (2020, 100 × 65 cm) shows six riders. Their outfits stand for several Moroccan cities that celebrate this tradition, to express the unity of the country's folk art and customs. The painting is, in his words, a recognition and a definition of Moroccan folklore.

It belongs to a series begun in late 2019 and devoted to the heritage and folklore of Taroudant, the artist's home town.