Happy Tripoli Graffiti

Mohammad wants to draw on all the walls of Lebanon!

Graffiti is art

Mohamad Abrash, an artist from Bab Al Tabbanah, is a calm and peaceful person who loves his town. How was he able to make it more beautiful? In 2004, Mohammad learned how to execute graffiti haphazardly, not linking it to art, and not caring what he is presenting, till he realized that this form of art he is fond of is just like all other forms of art, meaningful and should carry a message. There are people who think that graffiti artists are street boys, and there are others who love their work. Mohamad then knew that enhancing the quality of his drawings needed patience and persistence. To change this negative image in people’s minds, Mohamad executed graffiti with an environmental message on walls of a school to remind its students of the importance of Mother Nature.

Individual initiative for nicer walls

When the conflicts started between Jabal Mohsen and Bab Al Tabbanah, Mohamad felt that his duty as a citizen of one of those towns was to tell the whole world that those conflicts are not what this region is about, so he started to draw on the walls because that’s the only way he knew how to express.

A peaceful and colourful Tripoli is what we want

Tripoli is not a warzone, this is what Mohamad wants everyone to remember. In Tripoli there are talents and artists and welcoming and loving people. The abandoned walls in Tripoli upset him, he hopes to have plenty of time to decorate it with his graffiti. Sometimes, kids and teenagers approach him to offer help when they see all the colourful cans of spray with him. He explains to them what he is drawing, and soon after, they get excited to beautify their neighbourhoods with him. They think that graffiti sends a positive message, expressing love and joy and beauty, reflecting a very nice impression about Tripoli and its people. Tripolitans love life, love people and love co-existence. They never asked for war… Mohamad dreams of drawing on all the walls in Tripoli, better yet, all the walls in Lebanon, perhaps he allows Tripoli to live through his art.