DUBAI: French-Tunisian artist eL Seed has unveiled another ambitious work — this time in Nepal’s Giranchaur village.
The artist — who is famous for championing the art of “calligraffiti,” a mixture of Arabic calligraphy and graffiti — took to Instagram to show off his latest large-scale work titled “Like Her,” that stretches 170 meters covering rooftops in the small village.
“In 2015 an earthquake rocked Nepal, destroying hundreds of homes and tearing many families apart. As the country began to build itself back up again women took a leading role in the reconstruction of the society around them. In Giranchour, a small village three hours away from Kathmandu, some women got trained in construction work, when others learned how to produce their own earthquake resistant bricks,” the artist explained on Instagram.
“In this new project, I explore the topic of women empowerment by bringing light to the stories of admirable women. During four weeks, I worked with a team of 12 women who helped me create a giant art installation that spread all around the village connecting each house to another, linking each women’s story to the other,” he added.
The installation features the words of Yogmaya Neupane (1867-1941) one of the first female activists of Nepal.
“There is nothing between us, nothing at all. Your eyes have tears, just like my own,” the words read.
“I believe artists have a great social responsibility to inspire, ignite and implement change. ‘Like Her’ intends to raise up the women in this remote community that was devastated by the 2015 earthquake, and bring to light issues facing these women, and women all over the world, while sharing their beautiful stories of wisdom, strength and resilience,” eL Seed said.
A video documenting the project is on show at the Women’s Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai.
The artist is no stranger to large scale works, and previously painted the faced of 50 houses in Cairo in a piece titled “Perception.” He also painted the façade of Paris’s Pont des Arts bridge, replacing the famous love locks that adorned the crossing, in a previous piece.
