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Lot Essay
LOUIS VUITTON COLLABORATION WITH TUNISIAN URBAN CALLIGRAFFITI ARTIST eL SEED
Building upon the layers of cultural communication between the artists and Louis Vuitton, Franco-Tunisian street artist eL Seed was invited in March 2013 to participate in Louis Vuitton's 'Foulards d'Artistes' project, along with some other street artists , including British EINE, Japanese AIKO, American RETNA and Brazilian Os Gemeos and Indonesian Eko Nugroho, he designed a scarf for the Maison, recreating the classic silk Louis Vuitton scarf in his own inimitable Arabic 'calligraffiti' style.
As an added dimension to the art collaboration, eL Seed custom created an exceptional window installation in using the iconic Alzer hard-sided luggage. eL Seed left his unique mark on the stack of three trunks, sharing the same poetic and fluid 'calligraffiti' messages that have made him renowned in the world of urban art. These unique and beautiful products mark a significant moment in history, making them the first products created by a regional artist for the Maison.
Inspired by Arabic calligraphy, eL Seed imagines the graceful swirls of this ancestral art overlaying the Monogram pattern of the three unique trunks in pink, blue and gold.
These exceptional Alzer pieces are being auctioned for the benefit of START.
About eL Seed
Born to Tunisian parents in the suburbs of Paris, eL Seed spent his formative years juggling different cultures, languages, and identities. French Graffiti sub-culture helped to cultivate the young eL Seed's artistic nature, and his love for Arabic Calligraphy soon fused with his penchant for street art. His work can be viewed on streets, and in galleries in all corners of the globe from Melbourne to London, Paris to Frankfurt and San Francisco, Chicago, Toronto, Dubai, Doha, and of course, Tunis. eL Seed's recent projects have taken him to southern Tunisia; South Africa, and Australia ; he presented his first European solo exhibit in October 2012, and is now in Doha, Qatar, working on one of his biggest mural projects to date for Qatar Museum Authority. Through workshops, individually commissioned work, mural projects, conferences, and personal projects, eL Seed continues to develop his artistic vision, and share his passion with communities across the globe.
About START
START is a non-profit organisation established by Art Dubai and the Al Madad Foundation, which applies the universal language of art to heal, educate and enrich the skills and opportunities of children with special needs across the Middle East and India.
START programmes seek to educate and empower the younger generation by giving them a voice through the expression of art by engaging them with their communities and their peers and by teaching them a sense of self-worth. Their mission is to heal and educate children who have suffered with war, pain and loss and to create a future as rich and free as their imagination.
START provides art education for over one thousand refugees, orphans and children with special needs every week across in Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, India and the UAE.
For more information please visit www.startworld.org
About Louis Vuitton
Since 1854 Louis Vuitton has never stopped nurturing the relationship between craftsmanship and
design. Many artists, from Stephen Sprouse to Yayoi Kusama, from Takashi Murakami to Richard
Prince, under the impetus of Marc Jacobs, have collaborated on special projects, making a bag, scarf,
or shoe into a desirable collector's item.
Founded in Paris in 1854, Louis Vuitton is synonymous with the Art of Travel. Its iconic trunks, luggage
and bags have accompanied journeys throughout time. With the arrival of Artistic Director Marc
Jacobs in 1997, Louis Vuitton extended its expertise to ready-to-wear, shoes, accessories, watches and
jewelry, available in its exclusive network of stores located all over the world.
Building upon the layers of cultural communication between the artists and Louis Vuitton, Franco-Tunisian street artist eL Seed was invited in March 2013 to participate in Louis Vuitton's 'Foulards d'Artistes' project, along with some other street artists , including British EINE, Japanese AIKO, American RETNA and Brazilian Os Gemeos and Indonesian Eko Nugroho, he designed a scarf for the Maison, recreating the classic silk Louis Vuitton scarf in his own inimitable Arabic 'calligraffiti' style.
As an added dimension to the art collaboration, eL Seed custom created an exceptional window installation in using the iconic Alzer hard-sided luggage. eL Seed left his unique mark on the stack of three trunks, sharing the same poetic and fluid 'calligraffiti' messages that have made him renowned in the world of urban art. These unique and beautiful products mark a significant moment in history, making them the first products created by a regional artist for the Maison.
Inspired by Arabic calligraphy, eL Seed imagines the graceful swirls of this ancestral art overlaying the Monogram pattern of the three unique trunks in pink, blue and gold.
These exceptional Alzer pieces are being auctioned for the benefit of START.
About eL Seed
Born to Tunisian parents in the suburbs of Paris, eL Seed spent his formative years juggling different cultures, languages, and identities. French Graffiti sub-culture helped to cultivate the young eL Seed's artistic nature, and his love for Arabic Calligraphy soon fused with his penchant for street art. His work can be viewed on streets, and in galleries in all corners of the globe from Melbourne to London, Paris to Frankfurt and San Francisco, Chicago, Toronto, Dubai, Doha, and of course, Tunis. eL Seed's recent projects have taken him to southern Tunisia; South Africa, and Australia ; he presented his first European solo exhibit in October 2012, and is now in Doha, Qatar, working on one of his biggest mural projects to date for Qatar Museum Authority. Through workshops, individually commissioned work, mural projects, conferences, and personal projects, eL Seed continues to develop his artistic vision, and share his passion with communities across the globe.
About START
START is a non-profit organisation established by Art Dubai and the Al Madad Foundation, which applies the universal language of art to heal, educate and enrich the skills and opportunities of children with special needs across the Middle East and India.
START programmes seek to educate and empower the younger generation by giving them a voice through the expression of art by engaging them with their communities and their peers and by teaching them a sense of self-worth. Their mission is to heal and educate children who have suffered with war, pain and loss and to create a future as rich and free as their imagination.
START provides art education for over one thousand refugees, orphans and children with special needs every week across in Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, India and the UAE.
For more information please visit www.startworld.org
About Louis Vuitton
Since 1854 Louis Vuitton has never stopped nurturing the relationship between craftsmanship and
design. Many artists, from Stephen Sprouse to Yayoi Kusama, from Takashi Murakami to Richard
Prince, under the impetus of Marc Jacobs, have collaborated on special projects, making a bag, scarf,
or shoe into a desirable collector's item.
Founded in Paris in 1854, Louis Vuitton is synonymous with the Art of Travel. Its iconic trunks, luggage
and bags have accompanied journeys throughout time. With the arrival of Artistic Director Marc
Jacobs in 1997, Louis Vuitton extended its expertise to ready-to-wear, shoes, accessories, watches and
jewelry, available in its exclusive network of stores located all over the world.