By Kerning Cultures Yazan Halwani is a street artist, still in his early 20s. Over the past year, I’ve met with Yazan a few times, following his work closely and always, with great admiration. When I finally got to sit down with him to record this episode, it was in a large studio that was given to him to use in the building on which he had just finished his iconic Sabah mural – how appropriate, I thought. There were no chairs in this studio – only large canvases laid along the walls and concrete columns, paint spread across the room on canvas and floor, and a few large wooden wheels that we tried to sit on. Yazan is energetic and friendly. Fluent in three languages (at least), he speaks quickly and passionately about his art, and about the meaning behind each piece. It’s not just paint on a wall – it’s a statement, it’s a cultural diary, “I paint people that define the streets of Beirut or the cities of Lebanon, or Arabs in general. So it could range from Fairuz, to Sabah, to Mahmoud Darwish, who is a Palestinian poet…
Beirut’s Banksy: Murals, Calligraphy and Arab Icons on Hamra Street
October 28, 2015
