[pullquote] “To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.” Audrey Hepburn [/pullquote] Earlier this summer, Zabou painted a portrait of the iconic British actress and humanitarian Audrey Hepburn in Brick Lane, London. The portrait is inspired by an amazing photograph taken by Yousuf Karsh in 1960. The artwork depicts Audrey Hepburn looking down, peaceful…
The small village of Penelles in Spain is a beautiful and surprising outdoor gallery, now filled with more than 100 murals (for 400 inhabitants!). The organisers of Gargar Festival invited me to take part in this year’s edition, which took place with less artists over a few weeks in August. I painted a portrait…
“Last year I painted the portrait of the founder of Emmaüs, Abbé Pierre, at the charity’s branch in Saumur, France. The mural was damaged during a storm this winter so I repainted it again. Abbé Pierre was a priest who fought all his life for social justice and solidarity, against exclusion and poverty. The…
“I recently travelled to the Puglia region in Southern Italy to paint in the small city of Stornara, for the third edition of ‘Stramurales’ Festival. During the last few months, the Covid-19 pandemic has forced many people to move, relocate, find a new home and leave another one behind – while borders were shut…
“I was invited at by VIP Graffiti, a paint supply store in North London, to paint on their front wall. I created a portrait of American poet and civil rights activist Maya Angelou. She has written beautiful poems and powerful works defending women and black culture. The artwork, based on a photograph my Michael…
“It was time for a refresh at The Bell Pub located in Spitalfields in London. In light of the current events, I painted a striking photo taken by FutureHackney during the Black Lives Matter protests in London. A young man stares at the audience, he’s wearing a mask with the words ‘Racism is a…
“I was invited by Justice Through Arts, a non-profit project organised in West Hampstead, to paint a 40m long mural on West End Lane Bridge. The goal of the project is to raise awareness about homelessness while brightening up a dull space. I painted 3 portraits from the streets, each of them with a unique story (see…
I’ve been inspired by the last season of TV series ‘Casa De Papel’ to paint a portrait of Nairobi, one of the main characters. She’s a fierce and defiant woman played by Spanish actress Alba Flores. The mural is located in the courtyard of VIP Graffiti, a local paint shop in North London. “Nairobi”…
Due to the ongoing outbreak of Coronavirus Covid-19, my times in the street will be limited over the next few weeks. But before London goes on lockdown, I painted this fun piece to refresh the Dali portrait done at LukeJacob. This new painting depicts Dali looking at his pet, an ocelot named Babou. Babou’s…
It took me about 3 to 4 days despite the rainy weather to paint this large-scale mural on the side of U7 Lounge in Haggerston, London, UK. I wanted to create an artwork that is vibrant, colourful and celebrates jazz music (the venue host jazz events and there is a music school a few…
The art organisation Garidell14 invited me to take part in a project taking place in La Cité de Refuge, a homeless shelter in Paris home to 350 people. The building, built by Le Corbusier, has a new extension especially dedicated to women. I painted a portrait of Becca, a young woman who was homeless as a…
Angel Comedy offers free stand up and comedy shows every night in Islington, London. They are a community-oriented association with a mission to help comedians and artists by providing them a platform to express themselves, but also space, advice, workshops, podcasts and much more. Four years ago I painted the front of their new venue, the Bill…
My latest mural was made in collaboration with Centrepoint, a charity that helps young people who are homeless by providing accommodation and support for getting them back into education, employment or training. Around Christmas, an estimated 22 000 young people will be homeless. I painted a portrait of Becca after reading her story. To me,…
Despite the cold, it was time to hit this new spot in London near the Kingsland Basin, kindly provided to me by the U7 Lounge. The wall was a complex surface to approach – featuring doors, a large ventilation pipe and a corner. As it is visible from the canal towpath, I chose to paint…
I met the two little twin sisters Success and Surprise through FutureHackney, a collective of photographers capturing portraits of East Londoners. I took photos of them holding each other and painted a mural at the By The Bridge Cafe in Hoxton. I love the tenderness and the hope in their eyes. It’s been complicated times for Londoners…