Street-artist Bahia Shehab states that, "graffiti is like flowers. They are beautiful, but they don't live long." The government constantly tries to cover up Shehab's and other artists' graffiti work, so it's a good thing she has plenty of paint to replace them.
Shehab's pieces are about recording events and keeping memories alive. People have a tendency to forget things, and Shehab doesn't want people to forget the atrocities her and other people have gone through. Her works are also about facilitating change. She believes that dreamers are the ones who can change society, so Shehab tries to make her art influence as many people to become dreamers as possible. Shehab is also interested in the written language, especially Arabic calligraphy. This interest in language has evolved into a piece where she created 1,000 symbols that protest unjust governmental actions.
Her pieces range from cartoon like to semi-realistic and mostly depicts her symbols and people. The colors she uses are also unrealistic and are sometimes used conservatively and other times liberally.
Shehab's artworks are really about getting an idea out. She claims that, " you cannot resist ideas. They can travel into any mind." And through these ideas she hopes to influence change in society and people.
Information provided by:
ArtBabble. Indianapolis Museum of Art, n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2014.
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