Beyond the sinuous allure of his spray-painted letterforms, eL Seed’s work embeds poetry in the urban landscape. In Cape Town he quoted Mandela, in Paris Stendhal, and for a roof in the Brazilian favelas, he immortalized the words of poet Gabriela Torres Barbosa.

Image for article titled Photos: A “calligraffiti” artist tags buildings with beautiful Arabic calligraphy
Image: eL Seed

But arguably, some of eL Seed’s most indelible work can be found back in Tunisia. During a month-long journey through Tunisia documented in the book Lost Walls, he visited the town of Ong El Jemel, where Star Wars was filmed.

Disappointed by the Hollywood-created tourist trap that he discovered, eL Seed asked permission (he says he always does, unlike other famous street artists such as Banksy) to paint at the protected site.

On the side of a building, he inscribed words referencing another text that’s sacred to many: “I will never be your son,” he wrote—a response to Darth Vadar’s famous admission to Luke Skywalker, “I am your father.”

Ong El Jemel, Tunisia.
Ong El Jemel, Tunisia.
Image: eL Seed
Tagging at the Star Wars film location.
Tagging at the Star Wars film location.
Image: eL Seed

📬 Sign up for the Daily Brief

Our free, fast, and fun briefing on the global economy, delivered every weekday morning.