AYYAM GALLERY AT ABU DHABI ART (21 - 23 NOV, 2019) A Solo Representation of eL Seed at Abu Dhabi Art

eL Seed, Time I, 2019, Acrylic on Canvas, 125 x 273 cm / Courtesy of Ayyam Gallery and the artist

eL Seed

eL Seed is a French-Tunisian artist who specializes in calligraphy. Typically, Arabic calligraphy is associated with Islamic Art and Qu’ranic texts. He fuses the beauty of Ar­abic calligraphy with the roughness of graffiti. Keeping away from traditional Arabic calligraphy rules, the artist created his style to spread universal messages throughout the world. eL Seed’s style embodies open-mindedness and freedom in opposition to restraints in art and specifically Arabic calligraphy. The artist’s vibrant work evokes the marriage between the traditional and the modern.

Born in France, eL Seed grew up disconnected from his Arabic roots and mother tongue, only speaking the Tunisian dialect at home. In a quest for identity, at the beginning of adolescence, eL Seed decided to further his knowledge in Arabic, learning how to read and write the formal language. Very quickly, he created his style.

eL Seed, De L'Amour I, 2019, Watercolour and Acrylic on Canvas, 196 cm in diameter / Courtesy of Ayyam Gallery and the artist

eL Seed, Nomad, 2019, Concrete sculpture, 180 x 130 x 40 cm / Courtesy of Ayyam Gallery and the artist

eL Seed’s works became free, organic, and curvilinear expressions of researched quotes and phrases. The artist’s values of love, respect, and tolerance are vital to his work. While viewers are not necessarily fa­miliar with the words and expressions portrayed, they can capture their visual essence, which makes the work both global and abstract. The forms become themselves expressive of eL Seed’s beliefs, through color, line, rule-breaking and instinct. The artist accentuates the complexity of Arabic lettering, molding each letter in infinite ways, adding yet another layer of abstraction.

eL Seed’s artwork and specifically his large scale street interventions intend to redress stereotypes and build bridges between the East and West while staying true to his artistry and ethos. His goal is to create dialogue and promote tolerance as well as change global perceptions of Arabic culture. eL Seed aspires to prove that art in the Islamic world is rich in history, and is still growing in practice and potential.

eL Seed, Love, 2019, Concrete sculpture, 142 x 60 x 43 cm / Courtesy of Ayyam Gallery and the artist

eL Seed, De L’Amour II, 2019, Watercolour and acrylic on canvas, 196 cm in diameter / Courtesy of Ayyam Gallery and the artist

Selected large scale site-specific street art interventions include L’Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris; the Favelas of Rio de Janeiro; the DMZ in between North and South Korea; the slums of Cape Town; and the heart of Cairo’s garbage collectors neighborhood.

Selected solo shows by the artist include Lazinc Gallery, London, UK (2019); Royal Monceau, Paris, France (2017); Galleria Patrica Armocida, Milan, Italy (2017); ArtTalks, Cairo, Egypt (2016), Tashkeel, Dubai, UAE (2014); Institut Du Monde Arabe, Paris, France (2014); and ltinerrance Gallery, Paris, France (2012). He has participated in recent group shows at Sharjah Calligraphy Biennale, Sharjah, UAE (2018); Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Egypt (2016); Museo Palazzo, Platamone, Catania (2015); and Pergamon Museum, Berlin, Germany (2012).

In 2017, eL Seed won the UNESCO Sharjah Prize for Arab Culture. In 2016 Foreign Policy named the artist a Global Thinker for his project Perception in Cairo. In 2013, he collaborated with Louis Vuitton on their famous Foulard d’Artiste.

eL Seed, My Wish I, 2019, Acrylic on canvas with wood sculpture, 196 cm in diameter / Courtesy of Ayyam Gallery and the artist

eL Seed, Voices From Within The Veil II, 2019, Acrylic on canvas, 200 x 400 cm / Courtesy of Ayyam Gallery and the artist

Ayyam Gallery

Founded in 2006, Ayyam Gallery is a leading arts organization that manages the careers of diverse estab­lished and emerging artists. Blue-chip art space in Dubai, a series of collaborative projects in the United States, Europe, Africa, and Asia, and a multinational non-profit arts program have furthered the gallery’s mandate of expanding the parameters of international art. Ayyam Gallery has a widely respected multilingual publish­ing division and a custodianship program that manages the estates of pioneering artists.