Erriadh, a small village on the island of Djerba, Tunisia, was transformed into a vibrant ‘open-air museum’ as a destination for one of the most vibrant and ambitious street art project ever hosted. The Djerbahood project invited 150 street artists from 30 countries to live and work in the community, using the walls of the houses in the village as canvas. Curated by Tunisian artist and gallery owner Mehdi Ben Cheikh after the success of his “Tour Paris 13” project, Djerbahood reinvigorates and recharacterizes an old historic village. The project serves to promote collectivism and freedom of expression by bringing art to the streets, turning the community into an art gallery.
Graffiti is still considered vandalism in Tunisia. However, since the overthrow of president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in January 2011, street art has regained some of its former prominence.
There is no doubt that the Djerbahood project has added beauty and charm to the island, which is known for its golden sandy beaches and sapphire seas, as well as bolstering tourism. There are hundreds of different murals now on display in Djerba, from very talented artists such as Phelgm (UK), ROA (BE), Swoon(US), Faith47 (SA), C215 (FR) INTI (CL), Seth (FR), Dome (DE), M-City (PL), Alexis Diaz (PR), Saner (MX), Bom.K (FR), eL Seed (TN), Twoone(JP), Pantónio (PT), Aya Tarek (EG), Orticanoodles (IT), among others.
For more information about the project and to see the official trailer and more visit the official Djerbahood site.
Keywords: 3d street art, Art, Arts, Djerba, Djerbahood, graffiti, graffiti art, Open Air Musuem, Shoreditch, Shoreditch Art wall, Street Art, street art graffiti, street artists, Tour Paris 13, Tunisia, Twoone, Urban Art, Wall street art.
