Striking A Balance: elSeed on Art and Entrepreneurship "Money is such a taboo thing in the art world. But only for the artist, and not for the collector, not for the gallery. We create art and we are the engine of that whole ecosystem. Without artists, there is no collector, no museum, no art foundation, no galleries, there's nothing."

Although French-Tunisian contemporary artist elSeed and I agreed that our conversation would mainly focus on the business side of art - pure logic demands it from an editor of a magazine called Entrepreneur Middle East - I feel a lump forming in my throat as I prepare to delve deeper into the finances of an artist. elSeed recognizes that I am not the only one. "Money is such a taboo thing in the art world," he says. "But only for the artist, and not for the collector, not for the gallery. A gallery can sell something for millions of dollars, but an artist cannot say, 'I sold something for $1 million.' We create art and we are the engine of that whole ecosystem. Without artists, there is no collector, no museum, no art foundation, no galleries, there's nothing."

Warming up to this theme, he adds, "Sometimes, we put artists in this box where like, 'You're the small one. Oh, we're giving you exposure. Oh, this is good for you.' But hey, without us, there is nobody. They don't exist. They exist because of us. That's the switch that I made in my head years ago. And I'm like, no, you're not helping me. I'm your opportunity. You're not an opportunity to me. I am my own opportunity and I'm an opportunity for you."

In being open to talk about any topic and to welcome everyone and anyone at his studio in Alserkal Avenue in Dubai (which is also where we met), elSeed is a living embodiment of the guiding principle behind his art - to encourage human connections.

The Studio by elSeed in Alserkal Avenue in Dubai. Source: BNC Publishing

Known for his "calligraffiti" style, a fusion of Arabic calligraphy and street graffiti, elSeed predominantly practices in the public sphere. His large scale murals and installations, which are always inspired by the work of influential writers and philosophers, aim to uplift local communities and to advocate for peaceful expression and social progress. "I created my own visual language inspired by Arabic script," he explains. "The idea is that I always choose the place where I want to create my work based on the theme that I want to speak about. So, there's first a theme that I pick, then I find the right place, and then I look to create an art piece that best conveys my message."

One such project is "Perception", an anamorphic piece that covers almost 50 buildings only visible from a certain point of the Moqattam Mountain in the neighborhood of Manshiyat Nasr in Cairo, Egypt. In using the words of Saint Athanasius of Alexandria, a Coptic Bishop from the third century, who said, "Anyone who wants to see the sunlight clearly needs to wipe his eye first," elSeed aimed to question the judgement against the the Coptic community of Zaraeeb that lives there.

"That community of garbage collectors has been collecting the garbage of Cairo for years and they have developed the most powerful recycling system in the world, but they're segregated and marginalized because of the association with the trash. So, as an artist, I was like, 'this is the perfect spot to speak about this subject [perceptions]." I love those kind of extraordinary areas where you find extraordinary people who don't feel extraordinary. I think that all of us, in our lives, have been judged by somebody who doesn't know us, and that was the point of my project. Sometimes, we should break the stereotype and judgment that we have about a community that we don't know. We should maybe change our perspective of someone and try see them from their real image. Art is a way of highlighting this, and that's what I'm trying to do with my work."

In Lebanon in 2019, he painted a few murals around the refugee camp of Ain Al Helweh to support a group of female artisans who are preserving the old art of Palestinian embroidery. His project "The Bridge" in South Korea celebrates a call for reunification, unity, and mutual respect. In 2018, Dubai Opera commissioned him for a sculpture, and elSeed chose to spread messages of love. "Each project is different in terms of how challenging it is, and in terms of my doubts and thoughts," he says. "What is interesting is that, most of the time, people see only the final result, but they don't see the struggle I went through from the time I got the idea in my mind to the day I finished that particular art piece. It's a full process that goes step by step, and as an artist, what I actually enjoy the most is the process. The process itself goes up and down and brings you to a place where you were not supposed to land and where you didn't expect."

In his native Tunisia, elSeed painted the minaret of Jara Mosque, which gained much attention from international press and attracted people to his hometown of Gabes. Plus, he went on a month-long road trip around the country in the summer of 2013, painting on random walls to spread the universal messages at the least expected places. "As an artist, I'm a collector of moments," he says. "I love the human experience. So, I painted in places where nobody would ever see my work, like a wall in the middle of the desert, for example. But I love when art is a tool to create those bridges between people, communities, and generations. I have painted Arabic script more in countries that are non-Arabic speaking than in Arabic speaking countries. So, it's always interesting to see how art can bring people together. It brings out an emotion, and because we're human and we feel emotions, that is what brings us together."

His career in art is owed to a bold and firm decision to leave the job of a consultant in supply chain management. "I didn't find any meaning in what I was doing at work, but still, I never thought art could be my career," he says. "Then, a day before the birth of my daughter 14 years ago, I quit my job as a business consultant- I wanted to be focused on my daughter and my art, and that's a decision I don't regret. I think that was the biggest leap of faith that I took. People didn't really understand it, like my family and friends, but for me, that was it. I think life is made for us to take a chance. People see it as taking the risk, but I see it more like taking a chance. There's an opportunity that comes to you, so okay, let's grab it."

The rise of social media in 2007 / 2008 opened new doors as it was the first time that the public was shown his work. "I remember the first time somebody invited me to paint," elSeed says. "I was living in Canada, and somebody from Chicago emailed me and said, "Look, we love what you do. We're doing this festival in June. We'd love to have you." And I'm like, "Okay, look, let me check the flight ticket and I get back to you." But the man said they would take care of the flight and accommodation. I was like, 'wow. so, you're inviting me to fly to Chicago, to do something that I love.' That was not something that I could fully grasp at that moment. After that project, somebody else reached out to me and asked for my fee. I was like, "What do you mean? So, you're going to pay me to paint?" So, my career in art was quite organic, not something that I planned."

With time, another lesson elSeed had to learn it is to balance the commercial side of his work with his creative integrity. "It was difficult for me at the beginning to put value on my art, because when it's coming from you, you always tend to downgrade it," he says. "But with projects coming to me, one after another one, I was like, okay, where do I want to go? Is this the direction I want to take? Is this the right thing to do? And then, you start accepting stuff, refusing stuff, because you're really building yourself as an artist and you want to make sure that people perceive you in the right way and understand your main premise. I'm not doing decoration. I'm doing art. I have something to say."

To date, elSeed has done only two product collaborations. For Louis Vuitton, he designed the brand's emblematic giant silk square in 2013, and he also worked on three Louis Vuitton luggage trunks that were auctioned for charitable purposes. In 2019, he designed a 10-piece range for MAC Cosmetics. "In terms of a business model, I'm mostly making money from selling my artwork at galleries, shows, or through commissions," elSeed says. "Then, I use part of this money to do my own personal projects in public spaces. That's the whole idea, to find a way to stay totally independent as an artist and to be able to do what I want to do."

Since recently, elSeed is an entrepreneur in his own right, having founded the brand of premium organic extra virgin olive oil - Tacapae - that is extracted from hand-picked Chmlali and Zarazi olives in in Temoula, Gabes. "We've been producing olive oil in my family for generations," he explains. "Some years ago, I took my kid for the harvest, when one of my cousins told me about a land put on sale that had 31 beautiful trees. Those had been planted by my great grandfather. I bought the land immediately. It was my way of connecting and showing to my parents that, even though I grew up in France and traveled the whole world, I still have my roots firmly into that land."

elSeed is an entrepreneur in his own right, having founded the brand of premium organic extra virgin olive oil - Tacapae - that is extracted from hand-picked Chmlali and Zarazi olives in in Temoula, Gabes.
Source: BNC Publishing

elSeed had his land certified as organic and learned to tend, trim and harvest the olive trees. He also became a certified olive oil sommelier. "Then, I decided to use my image as an artist to launch our olive oil," he says. "I designed a bottle, so you buy a piece of art with extra premium, virgin, organic olive oil. You can consume the olive oil, but you will keep the piece of art. It is limited edition. Every year, we will have a different design of the bottle as I want other artists to collaborate with the brand. For me, it's about showing that olive oil can be a luxury product- it's a piece of art with olive oil encapsulated in it. Overall, it's a beautiful project because it brings people together- my father, brother, and cousins entered this adventure and it has brought so much excitement to all of us."

Before we part ways, elSeed shares one final message for his fellow artists. "It's important to understand as an artist that you won't stop tomorrow," he says. "If you believe in your practice, you have to be like, 'okay, so I'm into this, and I will last.' And then, try to create a system that works for you and say, "Okay, it needs to match my values, but I also need to feed my family. So, re-invest in yourself. That's what this whole thing has taught me."