Artist eL Seed’s calligraphic graffiti murals have transformed public places around the world. He has painted on rooftops in Brazilian favelas, minarets of mosques in Tunisia and facades of buildings in Beirut.
Now, he has released a colouring book with images of previous public art projects for people to print at home, as more people remain indoors due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The book, which is available for free on eL Seed’s website, includes images of his previous public art projects and corresponding outline versions for people to fill in.
It includes some of his best-known works, such as The Words of Gabriela, which he created in Rio de Janeiro in 2014. Featuring the words of poet Gabriela Torres Barbosa in pink calligraphic script, it reads, “You forgot how to love your people, to love your country, country of the poor, country of the black.”
There is also his colourful mural in Cape Town bearing a quote by Nelson Mandela — “It always seems impossible, until is it done” — and a complex large-scale piece in London with John Locke’s words, “It is one thing to show a man that he is in an error, and another to put him in possession of the truth.”
On his Instagram, eL Seed said he is looking forward to how people “interpret” his calligraphy through the colouring book.
It is not the first time the artist has developed artistic initiatives during the pandemic. At the end of April, he gathered 49 people together to create an artwork via the video conferencing platform Zoom. With the use of Zoom backgrounds and careful timing as eL Seed choreographed each participant's entry into the call, he was able to create a digital collage in the platform's Gallery View.
eL Seed's colouring book is available on elseed-art.com
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Gearbox Eight-speed automatic
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Recipe
Garlicky shrimp in olive oil
Gambas Al Ajillo
Preparation time: 5 to 10 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Serves 4
Ingredients
180ml extra virgin olive oil; 4 to 5 large cloves of garlic, minced or pureed (or 3 to 4 garlic scapes, roughly chopped); 1 or 2 small hot red chillies, dried (or ¼ teaspoon dried red chilli flakes); 400g raw prawns, deveined, heads removed and tails left intact; a generous splash of sweet chilli vinegar; sea salt flakes for seasoning; a small handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
Method
▶ Heat the oil in a terracotta dish or frying pan. Once the oil is sizzling hot, add the garlic and chilli, stirring continuously for about 10 seconds until golden and aromatic.
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▶ Once the prawns are cool enough to eat, scatter with parsley and serve with small forks or toothpicks as the perfect sharing starter. Finish off with crusty bread to soak up all that flavour-infused olive oil.
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