Zaraeeb – Moqattam Mountain – Egypt

In my new project ‘Perception’ I am questioning the level of judgment and misconception society can unconsciously have upon a community based on their differences.
In the neighborhood of Manshiyat Nasr in Cairo, the Coptic community of Zaraeeb collects the trash of the city for decades and developed the most efficient and highly profitable recycling system on a global level. Still, the place is perceived as dirty, marginalized and segregated.
To bring light on this community, with my team and the help of the local community, I created an anamorphic piece that covers almost 50 buildings only visible from a certain point of the Moqattam Mountain. The piece of art uses the words of Saint Athanasius of Alexandria, a Coptic Bishop from the 3rd century, that said: ‘Anyone who wants to see the sunlight clearly needs to wipe his eye first.’
‘إن أراد أحد أن يبصر نور الشمس، فإن عليه أن يمسح عينيه’

The Zaraeeb community welcomed my team and I as we were family. It was one of the most amazing human experience I have ever had. They are generous, honest and strong people. They have been given the name of Zabaleen (the garbage people), but this is not how they call themselves. They don’t live in the garbage but from the garbage; and not their garbage, but the garbage of the whole city. They are the one who clean the city of Cairo.

“Paris is a real ocean. Throw it in a probe, you will never know its depth” by honoré de balzac

 
Project: Lost Walls
August : 2013

eL Seed painting in the large salt lake of Chott El Jerid during his road trip through Tunisia.
#Tunisia #South #Chott El Jerid #Themostbeautifulplaceintheworld #youwishtocominTunisia

Pictures by John Falchetto

Finally – thanks to everyone involve in this project. It started 5 years ago with a conversation with @marwanalsarkal – thanks to @yousefmoscatello @paolo_maria Rod Wael Yusr and the whole team of @marayaartcentre and @shurooqsharjah for making this possible – #sharjah #jedariya #busneeda

Pictures by : hichem merouche
Nov. 2014

#Didouche #Djart14 #BiladAlkhayr #Algiers #Algeria #Didouche #eLSeed

Visit eL Seed solo show “Declaration” at Tashkeel until December 27th #eLSeedDeclaration

Credit: Mahdi Khmili

From the 3rd to 20th October 2014, eL Seed has presented his first solo show in Tunis in the “Medina” of Tunis.

Credit photo : idem

Working on new limited edition signed print . Special thanks to Idem in Paris for this great moment.

Credit photo : henrique madeira

August, 2014 – Big Thanks to Galerie Itinerrance and Mehdi Ben Cheikh for making this possible.

June 12, 2014 the Institute of the Arab World inaugurated the new fresco eL Seed. On this occasion, a photo exhibition of the “Lost Walls” in Tunisie opened its doors in the spaces of the Museum and will be visible until the end of the summer

“Lost Walls”  Photo Exhibition, From June 12, 2014 to September at the Institute of the Arab World
Institut du monde Arabe
1, rue des Fosses-Saint-Bernard Place Mohammed V
75005 Paris

                                                                                                                 The shape of the city change ……

This project was awesome.

A special thanks to Mehdi Ben Cheikh and “Galerie Itinerrance” to have made this project possible

I will never be your son – Lost Walls – Tunisia