eL Seed
Born in Paris and lives in Dubai, UAE
eL Seed is a ‘calligraffiti’ artist, a blend of the historic art of Arabic calligraphy and the modern art of graffiti, mixing street culture from Paris and Arabic history to poetic effect. Born to Tunisian parents in the suburbs of Paris, eL Seed spent his formative years juggling different cultures, languages, and identities. Today eL Seed’s pieces have developed out of two worlds colliding, with these two cultures clashing and blending into one another, to form a new identity, a unique mark and a distinctive style.
eL Seed uses intricate composition in his work to call not only on the words and their meaning, but also on their movement, which ultimately lures the viewer into a different state of mind. Working primarily with subjects that seem contradictory, eL Seed’s art reflects the reality of mankind and the world we live in today.
In mid-2012 eL Seed completed his largest piece to date, in the southern Tunisian city of Gabes, a 47 metre high minaret on the Jara mosque, spreading the message of unity. In 2013, he went on to leave his unique and one of a kind mark in Qatar, when he was commissioned by the Qatar Museums Authority to paint tunnels in Doha on Salwa Road. eL Seed sought out the help of the local community to create 52 individual pieces of art for the tunnel walls. More recently in the summer of 2013 in Paris, eL Seed took part in La Tour Paris 13, the largest collective street art exhibition in the world.
Tashkeel Nad Al Sheba