Graffiti artist eL Seed to appear at Abu Dhabi International Book Fair

The Tunisian artist will lead a talk on Arabic calligraphy in graffiti as well as sign copies of his book Lost Walls.

El Seed at the Tashkeel Art Gallery in Dubai . Satish Kumar / The National

Earlier this year he completed a year-long residency in Dubai’s Tashkeel studio hub. Now eL Seed is back to talk about his book and ongoing passion for the art of calligraphy in the more modern form of graffiti.

As part of the programme the for Abu Dhabi International Book Fair, eL Seed will present his book Lost Walls, which was launched last year and chronicles a journey that he took through his native Tunisia painting the walls and reclaiming the country's rich heritage.

Well known for his distinctive form of calligraffiti – a fusion of Arabic calligraphy and graffiti – eL Seed and his team put the book together to highlight parts of Tunisian culture that he sees as overlooked. As well as the images of his work, he also interspersed with a series of essays from other artists, scholars or those in the tourist industry, addressing subjects like the democratisation of art and the responsibility of the artist in Tunisia. Visitors to the fair will have the chance to buy the book and meet the author.

He will also partake in a conversation with Don Karl, founder of From Here To Fame, the publisher of Lost Walls and co-author of Arabic Graffiti, a book about the use of graffiti and street art across the region. They will discuss the significance of calligraffiti as an art form.

“Calligraphy in the Arab culture is something really important,” eL Seed says. “It used to have a very high, sacred status but step by step it became old-fashioned. Graffiti is the language of the new generation and bringing calligraphy into it keeps the tradition alive. Most importantly, it also allows innovation into this art form, adding another dimension and showing that we in the Arab world can adapt graffiti to our own context.”

• Meet eL Seed is on Thursday May 7 from 6-6.30pm

• Arabic Graffiti with eL Seed and Don Karlis on Thursday May 7 from 6.45-7.30pm