Monday, November 21, 2022

 

Eskander Tej's artistic talent turns murals into open air museums in Tunisia

For Tej, a graffiti painter born in Monastir, Tunisia, what matters more than the painting techniques themselves is the message he tries to convey.
Wednesday 26/10/2022
Design of Tunisian ceramics is embedded in Tej's motifs. (TAW)

Tunisian modern artist Iskander Tej looks at life in his home country, Tunisia, with a lot of imagination and social commitment.

His inspiration helps him embellish villages with large murals, turning streets and public places into open air museums which highlight local identity traits and the importance of preserving the attributes of Mother Nature.

For Tej, a graffiti painter born in Monastir, Tunisia, what matters more than the painting techniques themselves is the message he tries to convey.

His main message is to bridge the distance between the eye of the art lover and the artwork. He seeks to make artworks, which might once have been confined to halls and indoor museums, widely accessible to the common man.  His creativity is rounded off by the locals’ enjoyment of art, be it drawings, sculptures or other displays.

Birds join human faces in depicting beautiful landscapes in Tej's murals. (TAW)

As he encourages people to interact directly with his artworks, Tej seems motivated by a desire to develop the aesthetic taste of the locals while improving and preserving their surrounding landscapes by decorating public places and spaces with works of art that eventually belong to everyone.

The artist sees an environmental value in his art which preserves “pristine” life and protects the existing milieus from pollution and destruction. They also add to tourist attractions in many places in the country.

Tej studied for five years at the Tunisian higher institute of science and design technologies, specialising in image design. After years of studio work, he left for the street.

The artist is a wanderer moving from one region to the other.  He is currently aiming to complete work in 24 villages across 24 governorates. His dream started at the village of Sawaf, in the governorate of Zaghouan, northern Tunisia and he has continued ever since.

 

Love of nature and animals are part of eco-friendly murals. (TAW)

Every project generally starts by getting in touch with the people in each village where the mural is to be completed.  He visits each place talking to locals about their lifestyle and their way of thinking, so as to adapt his themes and techniques to the local culture and taste.

The murals become the property of the people, the district and the street where they are completed.

The artist’s involvement ends with the completion of his work. The murals are left for everyone to critique and the artist moves on to another location, having achieved what he came for: to revive the street if not a whole  village or city, establish closer dialogue with the public and plant the seeds of artistic interaction with the population everywhere.

Written By

Adnan Bashir Maiteeg

Adnan Bashir Maiteeg is a Libyan art critic.

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