The Idea behind the project was to pick any graffiti artist and feature his/her work. As always I prefer treating local subjects in my work, this is why I picked Ali Rafei.
Empty/dull Lebanese walls are getting sprayed by various artists from all over the country, Ali is one of them and I was lucky enough
to get exposed to his work and get to know him.
I wanted people to be aware that we have extremely talented artists around us but we have a tendency to ignore what's near us and search somewhere else.
"Excessively curious about many things and enormously indifferent to others: “I decided to listen to nothing but my heart and hands that could only express themselves
by drawing”
He took Tripoli’s walls as his canvas on which he let out the state of mind and souls of the people of his city.
O Tripoli “my city, my emptiness, my inspiration and my drive”,
with a love like that how glorious you are...
"طائر الفينيق" - PHOENIX BIRD
Like most of his Work, this stencil that I featured on the book cover is sarcastically pointing at the fact that the Lebanese left nothing of the so called "phoenix bird" and made a meal out of it.
"We can either follow our instincts and take risks or raise boundaries and stay meaningless"
Ali Rafei
Content Spread
Image on the right: Ali Rafei and his Calligraphy Art
Tripoli is where it all started
"Live Love Lebanon" - Lebanon as not seen on T.V
"من نسج الخيال" - FROM THE LOOM OF IMAGINATION
"Ali’s aim to have calligraphy incrusted in artworks did not stop on simple ink on paper, the artist got into tattoo design to elevate his aim. From ink on paper to ink on skin, his work will forever be on someone else’s skin.
That skin is mine."
"From Tripoli to the World: A Beautiful Soul...
Ali Rafei."
