A view of the exhibition "Parallel Realms" by Spaz. Courtesy of the gallery No Chef In The Kitchen.
He first became known as a graffiti artist, creating urban art on the streets of Beirut, especially in the neighborhoods of Gemmayzeh, Geitawi and Mar Mikhael. Under the tag Spaz — short for “Spasm,” borrowed from a video game he played as a child — Raydan Zebian, 32, spent years leaving the colorful imprints of his sleepless nights on city walls.With spray paint, he developed a style that blended calligraphic inscriptions in exaggerated letters with cartoonish figures. One of his favorite drawings was a bunny face with bulging eyes and a crazed grin, a hybrid creature halfway between a friendly animal and a monster. To its creator, the character reflected Lebanon itself, a country constantly oscillating between joy and catastrophe.Although his graffiti carried no political or sectarian references, it conveyed more than his shifting...
He first became known as a graffiti artist, creating urban art on the streets of Beirut, especially in the neighborhoods of Gemmayzeh, Geitawi and Mar Mikhael. Under the tag Spaz — short for “Spasm,” borrowed from a video game he played as a child — Raydan Zebian, 32, spent years leaving the colorful imprints of his sleepless nights on city walls.With spray paint, he developed a style that blended calligraphic inscriptions in exaggerated letters with cartoonish figures. One of his favorite drawings was a bunny face with bulging eyes and a crazed grin, a hybrid creature halfway between a friendly animal and a monster. To its creator, the character reflected Lebanon itself, a country constantly oscillating between joy and catastrophe.Although his graffiti carried no political or sectarian references, it conveyed more than his...
