Tunisia
Artistic Democracy French-Tunisian artist El Seed, famed for his calligraffiti, talks to GC about his year-long residency in Dubai’s Tashkeel studio By Anna Seaman
hen El Seed took his spray can and painted the minaret of a mosque in his home city in Gabes, Tunisia, his primary intention was simply that of an artist looking for a
Images courtesy of the artist
new canvas. However, by choosing a verse from the Quran and spraypainting it in his distinctive style, the young Tunisian gained worldwide recognition as well as marking a turning point in his career. Perhaps he attracted attention because it was two years after the Tunisian revolution, widely considered to be the trigger that started the so-called Arab Spring, or perhaps it was because he painted it during the holy month of Ramadan. Either way, El Seed’s bold statement was more far-reaching than he intended. “I never thought it would get this much attention,” he says. “The point was only to bring a verse from the Quran and make it a universal message.” Commissioned and supported by Sharjah’s Barjeel Foundation, the Jara Mosque project was the artist’s first large-scale public El Seed poses in front of his artwork ‘The Miracle of Civilisations’, 2014, in Tashkeel 74 MARCH / APRIL 2014