World renowned artist eL Seed works in a style he calls “calligraffiti,” a neologist blend of graffiti—which highlights spontaneous and virtuosic gestures—with traditional Arabic calligraphy. He explores this visual language via canvas paintings as well as commissioned murals that have appeared in cities like New York City, Paris, and Melbourne. eL Seed’s large-scale works have made him an Instagram sensation, from his towering, 2012 mural on the minaret of Jara Mosque in Tunisia to Perception, a 2016 work spanning multiple buildings within a Cairo neighborhood known for gathering and recycling the city’s trash. No matter his work’s location, eL Seed paints with a desire to increase cultural tolerance and to change people’s perceptions of cultures they might denigrate or see as other.
