I took part in Upfest this year, a large street art and graffiti festival down in Bristol. For the occasion I painted a portrait of Jean-Michel Basquiat, a famous American artist who also took part in the graffiti scene as SAMO in the 70s.

“Basquiat” – Zabou – 4,5x3m – Bristol, UK – 2018

Photo credit: Zabou

Number90, a venue and restaurant based in Hackney Wick, invited myself and Dale Grimshaw to paint two large-scale murals on their new building. While Dale painted a bright and bold portrait of an indigenous girl, I created this picture of a little girl planting a seed – next to an existing tree. I hope the mural shares a positive message about gardening and being eco-friendly to face the future.

“Plant A Seed” – Zabou – 9x12m – London, UK – 2018

Photo credit: Zabou (1,2,3,6) and Nelly Balazs (4,5)

I travelled to Saint Die Des Vosges in France to paint the 14th permanent mural of the town. The project is organised by Galerie 36e Art since 2015 and gathers French and international street artists such as Fio Silva, Dulk, Mantra and RNST.

I painted a boy leaning on a rooftop and observing the pedestrians and cars passing by with a magnifying glass. He carries a slingshot in his backpocket, while a bird (“rouge-gorge”) is resting on his shoulder.

“The Observer” – Zabou – 7x4m – Saint Die, France – 2018

Photo credit: Galerie 36

The town of Beeston near Nottingham invited me to take part in their first street art festival. I painted a portrait of the legendary Robin Hood, holding his bow and ready to shoot! I should be back in Beeston very soon for more projects – stay tuned!

“Robin Hood” – Zabou – 4×2.5m – Beeston, UK – 2018

Photo credit: Zabou

The lovely yarn artist Villana is visiting from Mexico, and we seized the opportunity to create a new collaboration together: a mural of Amy Winehouse. We combined my style of portrait with her colourful touches of ribbons and yarns, floating in the wind.

“Amy II” – Zabou & Villana – 4×2.5m – London, UK – 2018

Photo credit: Zabou

Number 90, a venue along the canal in Hackney Wick in London, invited me to jam for the day. To celebrate summertime, I created this mural based on a portrait of Jorja Smith, a UK-based soul singer, seen surrounded by sunflowers. I cut out and attached foam panels to create the illusion of the flowers coming out of the frame.

“Here Comes The Sun” – Zabou – 3.5x3m – London, UK – 2018

Photo credit: Zabou

I was recently commissioned by Eccleston Yards to paint a portrait of Frida Kahlo, ahead of her London retrospective at the V&A Museum. The show will present a collection of her belongings and artefacts.

Moyses Stevens, London-based florists, have installed a real crown of flowers on the mural, which will last for a week only!

“Frida with Flowers” – Zabou – 5x5m – London, UK – 2018

Photo credit: Zabou

I returned to Israel for the second time with Artists4Israel, for this project we painted the border wall between Lebanon and Israel. The local community on the Israeli side, a moshav called Shtula, emigrated from Kurdistan decades ago. They mostly live from farming and agriculture, olive trees being one of their main growing. The wall was built to protect them from attacks from the extremist group Hezbollah, based in Lebanon. The wall is guarded by soldiers and tanks.

The first mural I created shows a girl watering an olive tree, while an actual tree reflects it on the Lebanese side of the wall. The idea is to plant the seeds, water and grow peace and unity between communities, through the border.

“In Bloom” – Zabou – 4x6m – Shtula, Israel – 2018

Photo credit: Zabou

My second mural is a rather large one, it depicts two people flying and reaching out to each other’s hand. The man and woman are wearing clothes that are from Kurdish Jewish and Muslim traditions. On the background, the wall disappears and reveals the sky behind.

“Come Together“ – Zabou – 20x4m – Shtula, Israel – 2018

Photo credit: Zabou

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

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

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..!

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

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

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.

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