Islamic graffiti

Islamic graffiti is a genre of graffiti created by Islamic people or by people who are inspired by the religion. Containing Islamic themes, this type of art is created in a variety of forms. The most common languages used are English and Arabic. Like all other forms of art, graffiti can be used as a medium for instigating political or social change, or as a form of self-expression.

Socio-Political

Sticker Art

Sticker art refers to the practice of posting images or phrases to convey a message.

• A collaborative project called "INSIDE OUT: Artocracy in Tunisia" uses sticker art to promote the spirit of democracy in post-revolutionary Tunisia. Prior to the revolution, only presidential photography could be found in the public space. A group of six photographers, along with a French graffiti artist called JR, replaced these pictures with black and white photographs of anonymous Tunisian people. Their goal is to inspire the people of Tunisia to see themselves in a new light. One of the photographers states: "If people want to tear them down, or write something on them, that's part of the project, that's okay."^[1]

Subvertising

Subvertising refers to the practice of making spoofs or parodies of political advertisements.

• Princess Hijab, an anonymous street artist from Paris, paints Muslim veils on advertisements in the subway. She refers to this as "hijabisation." Since the enforcement of the "burqa ban," in which women are prohibited from wearing the burqa in public places, her art has sparked feminist and fundamentalist questions. It is not known if Princess Hijab is a Muslim or even a woman. "The real identity behind Princess Hijab is of no importance," she has been quoted. Inspired by Naomi Klein's No Logo, she drew her first veil in 2006 on the French rapper Diam's. Ironically, this woman converted to Islam and now wears the veil in reality. Graffiti on the subways in Paris is considered vandalism. Consequently, Princess Hijab has become highly selective and only paints four to five advertisements a year. She chooses to combine veils with advertisements because they are both "dogmas that can be questioned."^[2]

Spray Paint

• During the days after Mubarak was arrested, Egypt saw an explosion of patriotic street art. Ganzeer, Sad Panda, Kaizer, and El Teneen are well known street artists in present day Cairo. Ganzeer stated: "He who succeeds will most likely be he who wins the most amount of people to his cause." These graffiti artists strive to help Egyptians make their mark on the new world they live in.^[3]
  

  Mural in Cairo reads "I am Muslim and I love my Christian siblings."
• For 42 years, during the reign of Muammar Gaddafi, Libyans were prohibited from writing on public streets. Today, in post-revolutionary Libya the most common subject among the numerous messages found on the streets is their former leader. One mural satirizes Gaddafi's former practice of naming himself "the king of kings of Africa" by calling him "the monkey of monkeys of Africa." Another mural satirizes his curly hair by calling it "barbed wire hair."^[4]
• Graffiti as a form of communication in Palestine began in 1987 during the first Intifada. This was a period in which there were no Palestinian TV or Radio stations in the Gaza Strip. Murals commemorated martyrs as well as called protestors to action. Israeli military would force Palestinians to wash off graffiti from their homes. The Dome of the Rock was common among murals in Palestine. In 2006, Hamas took over the graffiti scene. Hamas would encourage people to perform the first of the day’s five prayers through street art.^[5] Currently, The West Bank wall is covered in graffiti. Numerous messages can be found including marriage proposals, notes to friends, and jokes. Also common are messages of peace. One reads: "Mirror, mirror on the wall. When will this senseless object fall?" "Trying to imagine a clear view between Palestine and Israel," is another. Messages such as these splatter across the wall, and some graffiti artists will paint your message for a fee.^[6]

Self-Expression

Tags and Spray paint

• In Lebanon, artists use graffiti as a form of self-expression. One artist explains, "It’s not like Europe or America. There, graffiti is a rebellion. Here, there’s nothing to rebel against." Major Corporations even hire graffiti artists to advertise their products. Artists are free to work in the streets without fear of consequences. Another artist claims the people "want to see some cool graffiti, not a newspaper on the wall.” Some artists fear for the future of street art in Lebanon if artists start collaborating with corporations. They do not want restrictions placed on their creativity or be turned into "sheep." Artists in Lebanon are respectful of each other’s work and even view street art as a game to create the most beautiful graffiti. The same artist goes further to say: “it's not a competition, it’s a game. In a competition, there’s a winner at the end. There is no winner here, because there is no end."^[7]
  

  Graffiti in Lebanon depicting a pregnant woman.
• Since in the early 80s when it first appeared, street art in Istanbul, Turkey has received increasing more attention. With a close association with hip-hop culture, many of the works spotted are tags of the artists’ names. Prior to 2005, the availability to spray paint was limited to black and grey. After 2006, Montana and Belton paints appeared on the market broadening the range of colors. Women appear in murals both with the veil and without. The majority of street artists painting in Istanbul are currently men.^[8]

Notable graffiti artists

Middle East

• see also graffiti in Tehran

• From Tehran, graffiti artist A1one(a.k.a. Tanha) has been credited with starting the modern street art movement in Tehran and Middle East ^[9]

Nowadays he is an International artist, known for His innovative Arabic & Persian Calligraphic Street Art Painted in Various Countries. A1one started his career as an artist in the late 1990s with indoor painting.^[10] In 2003, he moved outdoors by spraying a 30x40cm stencil on university walls to express to the "uncommon pressure" at the university which was "endured in silence." However, the motivations behind his art are not protest. He states that his art is simply personal expression: "A drawing on the street is similar to a letter: It proves that there is a writer."^[11]

Europe

• After growing up in Paris during the late 80s and early 90s, graffiti artist eL Seed found himself inspired by hip-hop culture. With parents from Temoula, Southern Tunisia, he explored his North African origins by learning calligraphy. Before becoming an artist, he pursued degrees in Marketing and Business. After befriending a graffiti artist known as Hest1, he began to combine his love of graffiti and calligraphy. Today, he creates both personal exhibitions as well as murals for commission.^[12]
• Also combining calligraphy with graffiti, Niels Meulman (also known as SHOE) coined the phrase “calligraffiti.” Born in Amsterdam, SHOE has worked for ad agencies such as BBDO and the television channel MTV. The metropolitan museum of art has called calligraffiti “a new explosive art form.”^[13]

References