Fathima Mohiuddin’s work is displayed in Abu Dhabi’s Yas Island | Alarabiya News
Once dismissed as vandalism, street art is now recognized as a powerful form of public expression, capable of transforming urban landscapes and reforming opinions. This is particularly evident in the Arab world, where a new generation of artists is reclaiming public spaces with vibrant murals, striking symbols, and lyrical Arabic calligraphy. These artists are not merely painting walls; they are voicing protest, hope, heritage, and identity, often in places where such expressions can be politically charged. From Amman to Beirut, from Gaza to Paris, Arab street artists are reshaping the visual culture of both their homelands and global cities.
Art of Resistance, Heritage, and Dialogue
Street art in the Arab world cannot be divorced from the political and social contexts in which it thrives. From the murals on the Israeli separation wall in Palestine to the graffiti that bloomed during the Arab Spring, walls have long functioned as spaces of protest and remembrance. In cities such as Tunis, Ramallah, and Baghdad, artists respond to occupation, state repression, economic despair, and cultural erasure with a spray can or brush. Among many, here are a few taking forward the revolution of change with art.
Youths created a graffiti mural over the posters of Tunisian parties and candidates participating in the 2019 legislative elections, in the capital Tunis | News Arab
eL Seed: The Global Calligraffiti Icon
The most internationally recognized Arab street artist today, eL Seed fuses traditional Arabic calligraphy with contemporary graffiti, a hybrid style known as “calligraffiti.” Born in France to Tunisian parents, eL Seed’s work transcends borders and languages. His murals spread across continents; from Cairo’s Perception project to a minaret in Tunisia and a bridge in Paris, they are imbued with philosophical quotes, poetry, and social commentary.
“How could I forget the land of good? How could my heart be in peace?” In Didouche Mourad, Algeria | Medium TED Fellow
What distinguishes eL Seed is his ability to unite form and meaning. In Cairo’s Manshiyat Nasr neighborhood, he painted across 50 buildings to challenge societal perceptions of the city’s marginalized Coptic garbage collectors. The message, only visible from a specific vantage point, read: “Anyone who wants to see the sunlight needs to wipe his eye first.” In doing so, he turned a stigmatized community into a monumental artwork. His practice is not merely aesthetic, it’s healing, resistant, and unifying.
‘Perception’ by eL Seed is an anamorphic mural | News Arab
Yazan Halwani: Beirut’s Memory Keeper
Yazan Halwani, a Lebanese artist and civil engineer, paints murals in a city fractured by decades of conflict and political fragmentation. Halwani’s work seeks to restore a sense of shared memory and pride. Using calligraphy and portraiture, he memorializes cultural icons and realistic views of the world, painting them on grand scales that blend seamlessly with the urban fabric. Halwani’s unique visual language is Arabic calligraphy that morphs into faces and figures, translating emotion into form.
Mural in Mannheim, Germany | Instagram
Dalal Mitwally: The Voice of Jordan
A rising star in the street art scene, Dalal Mitwally blends classical Arabic aesthetics with contemporary themes of gender, identity, and diaspora. A Jordanian artist based between Amman and Rotterdam, Mitwally’s work is rooted in traditional motifs but reflects distinctly modern anxieties. Her participation in B-Murals, an urban art center in Barcelona, signifies her growing international presence.
Mural in Amman, Jordan | AD Middle East
Her art is often contemplative and poetic. She integrates patterns from Islamic architecture with minimalist female figures, exploring the silent resilience of Arab women. Her walls do not shout, they resonate, inviting viewers into quiet contemplation.
Aya Tarek: Alexandria’s Pop-Infused Street Art
From Egypt emerges Aya Tarek, one of the first female street artists in the Arab world. Tarek’s work has a bold, cartoonish flair influenced by pop art, comics, and visual media. Her murals burst with color and sarcasm, often critiquing social norms, censorship, and consumerism. Hailing from Alexandria, Tarek was a central figure in Egypt’s 2011 uprising, when graffiti exploded as a form of political resistance.
Mural by Aya Tarek was commissioned by City Leaks Festival 2013 in Cologne, Germany | Gallery
Unlike many of her peers who use symbolism or calligraphy, Tarek embraces a graphic style, sometimes even incorporating fictional characters. Her visual language breaks taboos – satirical yet searing.
Shamsia Hassani: Afghanistan’s Sister in Struggle
Although Afghan by nationality, Shamsia Hassani’s inclusion in this list is significant, given her cultural resonance across the broader Arab and Muslim world. Her murals are characterized by stylized, veiled women playing musical instruments or walking alone, asserting female presence in male-dominated public spaces. In conservative societies, her work is both revolutionary and restorative.
Mural in Kabul, Afghanistan | Shamsia Hassani
Working under dangerous conditions in Kabul, and sometimes digitally simulating murals on photos when street access is denied, Hassani shows how art adapts under constraint. She has become a symbol of resilience, not just for Afghans but for Arab artists and feminists across the region.
A Movement in Motion
The rise of Arab street art signals more than aesthetic evolution; it’s a cultural reawakening. These artists are forging new identities, challenging political narratives, and building transnational dialogues through public art. In doing so, they are not only transforming the visual language of their cities but also reimagining what it means to be Arab in the 21st century. Arab street artists today are writing new stories, worth seeing, and more importantly, stories worth remembering!
References
https://www.newarab.com/features/leaving-mark-tunisia-hotbed-arab-street-art
https://www.arabamerica.com/five-arab-street-artists-with-serious-talent/
https://www.admiddleeast.com/story/best-arab-street-artists-you-should-have-on-your-radar#
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1402481/art-culture