BACK IN CYPRUS!
I visited Cyprus once again for the Street Life festival, taking place each year in May. For this occasion, I decided to raise the issue of plastic in the ocean, a worldwide disaster. My mural shows a mermaid swimming while surrounded by plastic bottles and bags. The fairy tale is over!
“The Mermaid” – Zabou – 9x7m – Limassol, Cyprus – 2018
Photo credit: Zabou
I also headed back to Petrofani, an abandoned Turk village near the UN buffer zone. I painted a little boy hiding his face in his hands and crawling into a ball, in the corner of a destroyed house.
“Ruins II” – Zabou – 2x2m – Petrofani, Cyprus – 2018
Photo credit: Zabou
WAITING FOR YOU
By The Bridge, a lovely family run cafe in Hackney invited back to freshen up my previous mural painted on their front wall. I created a portrait of young actress and activist Yara Shahiri, with a view of the canal in the background. This piece also works as an temporary installation: I painted on a piece of cut cardboard her hand going over the railings. It looks as if she is leaning and resting on the actual railings. Another way to play with the space!
“Waiting For You” – Zabou – 2x3m – London, UK – 2018
Photo credit: Zabou
INDONESIAN TOUR
Artist4Israel took a few international artists (Dheo, Paris, Muro, Rik Lee and myself) on a tour to Indonesia, painting across 3 different cities. We visited Denpasar, Kupang and Yogyakarta. The goal of the association is to spread a message of love, unity and peace across communities and religions.
Due to limited spray paint supplies available on the islands, I used mostly acrylic paint combined with brushes to create my artworks. The process was slower but the result is as nice as the sprays, maybe even better because of the visible brush strokes.
Out first stop was the city of Kupang on the island of Timor. I painted a mural playing with the surface, depicting a woman pulling the wall like a curtain to see the sky beneath. She is wearing a red ‘tais’, a traditional weaving created by local women. I hope this mural will inspire people to look forward, to be curious, inspired and to inspire others.
“Looking Forward” – Zabou – 7x7m – Kupang, Indonesia – 2018
Photo credit: Zabou
Our second stop was in Yogyakarta, on the island of Java. We painted in a village on the outskirts of the city, where a small art community has established their base and gallery ‘Survive Garage’. I also painted a second mural in the city centre, despite the torrential rain!
“In Your Eyes” – Zabou – 3x4m – Yogyakarta, Indonesia – 2018
Photo credit: Zabou
Our third stop was Denpasar, Bali. I wasn’t able to paint there but the street art and graffiti scene is definitely worth a visit. I’ll be back Indonesia..!
FRIDA IN BROADWAY MARKET
The portrait of Frida Kahlo in Broadway Market got a makeover due to previous damages. I’m much happier with this new version, it’s better looking and more colourful. I love the determination in her eyes – don’t mess with Frida!
“Frida” – Zabou – 3x5m – London, UK – 2018
Photo credit: Zabou
THIRSTY
I was invited by Frankie Roche to paint in West London, on a site that hosts artists’ studios. I created my first upside down piece of its kind, a portrait of an old man sipping on a straw (based on a photo by Willowpix). The straw is drawn on a metal pipe, ending in the sky. The mural is playful and interactive, triggering the audience’s surprise and imagination.
“Thirsty” – Zabou – 3x6m – London, UK – 2018
THE MASTERS SERIES I
Saatchi Gallery is currently exhibiting a body of works from various artists throughout January and February. I’ve created ‘The Masters Series I’, a series of paintings showcasing some of the most iconic painters such as Dali, Kahlo, Basquiat and Van Gogh. Each artwork integrates an object, creating volume and playfulness.
AMY IN CAMDEN
As a fan of Amy Winehouse, it has always been so tempting to paint her portrait in her local area of Camden (North London). The wall, located on the side of Nemesis Studio, is curated by Nelly Bazacs and is repainted once a month by a new artist. I had the pleasure to create my own version of Amy, holding a golden microphone and laying on her side.
“Amy” – Zabou – 3x7m – London, UK – 2017
Photo credit: (1, 3) Zabou, (2) Nelly Bazacs
NEW SCREEN PRINT “DALI”!
Enter the madness with my new 4 colour screen print inspired by the grandiose Salvador Dali. Handmade with love in London, the limited edition is printed on Fedrigoni Vellum (320gsm) paper, size A2. The release of the standard and hand finished artworks comes with three unique (01/01) hand painted prints available via Saatchi Store.
PARIS MON AMOUR
I love spending time and painting in Paris, it’s a vibrant place for the art. My journey started with a show at the underground venue Le Lavo//Matik, a great place to find artworks, books, tees and a lot more – all related to urban culture. On the opening day of a group show themed around Paris, I painted the wall adjacent to the gallery. The artwork depicts ‘la parisienne’ (the Parisian woman), with the beret, drinking coffee and smoking a cigarette. Very cliché!
“La Parisienne” – Zabou – 3x5m – Paris, France – 2017
Photo credit: (1) Zabou, (2,3,4) Christophe Legros
The second stop in my journey was in Vitry-sur-Seine, on the outskirts of South East Paris. The association Vitry’n Urbaine and myself built a long term project (it took us two years and half from beginning to end!) to paint an unusual spot in the city centre. The wall is particularly interesting as it it cylindrical. After finally obtaining permission from both the landlord and the town hall… I sprayed the hell out of it! The artwork represents a couple kissing, with both characters spread across the surface. It’s meant to be a soft, beautiful image celebrating love for all.
“L’Amour” – Zabou – 6x5m – Vitry-sur-Seine, France – 2017
Photo credit: (1,2) Zabou, (3,4) Nico Giquel
QUE CHIMBA!
For the first time I flew to South America, more precisely to central Colombia. The atmosphere of the Quindío region is magic and the wild nature very impressive. I was invited amongst other local and international artists to paint as part of the CapFest festival organised by LisergicoLab, and supported by the region and the Alliance Française.
Firstly we settled for the small town of Genova located high up in the mountains. With a small group of artists we painted the houses of the local inhabitants, who were enthusiastic about the city’s first murals. My design represents the cropped face of an old Colombian man, which interacts with the window when open/closed.
“El Abuelo” – Zabou – 2x2m – Genova, Colombia – 2017
As the Quindío is one of the largest producer of coffee in Colombia, this is the theme I picked for my second mural located in the city of Armenia. More precisely it focuses on the notion of “Chapolera”, who represented the strong and beautiful paysant woman working in the fields. My mural is composed around a Colombian woman with a fierce look and the bunch of coffee plants she is holding.
“La Chapolera” – Zabou – 7x6m – Armenia, Colombia – 2017
Photos credit: Zabou (1, 2, 3, 4) – Santiago Gomez (5, 6)
DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE
During the last couple of years I have been repainting multiple times the side wall of the The Bell, a friendly pub in East London. The structure of the wall is composed of various frames and half columns which make it complicated to work with, I have to be creative every time to adjust to the space. The theme selected for this new mural is ‘Alice in Wonderland’, a story I use to read when I was little and that I still appreciate greatly. The entrance door of the pub is being used as the door where Alice goes through to enter Wonderland, following the White Rabbit running away in fear of being late. On the left side, lays a small bottle with the words ‘Drink me’.
Down the rabbit hole… Descente dans le terrier du lapin blanc…
“Wonderland” – Zabou – 6x4m – London, UK – 2017
Photo credit: Zabou
ALL ABOARD!
This year I’ve explored some new surfaces, I painted a rooftop a few months ago and I’ve just completed a mural on a large canal boat. The artwork depicts an underwater scenery with plants, fishes and a diver exploring the deep waters. The diver is seen holding a perch with surprise, while nearby a pike is chasing a rudd. The boat will be travelling near and across London over the next few years so you may be able to spot it!
“All Aboard!” – Zabou – 12x1m – London, UK – 2017
Photo credit: Zabou
NIGHT SHIFT
After a bit of time off from painting, I recently repainted by night two shutters down in the famous Brick Lane with two characters, one girl, one boy, holding a spray can and roller. Their bandanas are coming out of the frame. I like the way they both match the heavily graffitied surfaces around.
“At Night” – Zabou – 2x2m – London, UK – 2017
Photo credit: Zabou
SID VICIOUS
Sid Vicious is a punk rock icon, member of the famous band The Sex Pistols. He’s also a Londoner: born in Lewisham, he used to live and study in Hackney. I love his music and rebellious spirit.
When Quaker Street Cafe provided me with a space in Shoreditch, I painted Sid’s cheeky face with his iconic necklace laying on the ground. The image is based on a photo by Dennis Morris.
“Sid Vicious” – Zabou – 2.5×2.5m – London, UK – 2017
The ‘Cockney Rebel’ stopped by, check out his awesome jacket.
Credit photo: Zabou
THE MASK
After Paris, I headed to the Veneto region in Italy to paint at EnergyFest, organised by Kantiere Misto, in the small town of San Polo Di Piave. I created a piece inspired by the mask and costume traditions of the nearby Venice, where a girl is seen hiding her face with her hands while her mask is off. We all hide behind a mask and an image, when our true self is exposed how do we react? Do we let go?
“The Mask” – Zabou – 6x4m – San Polo Di Piave, Italy – 2017
Credit photo: Zabou