Seb Toussaint

Maria chose the word “Rispetto” (Respect). Maria’s was born here and has lived here her whole life. She’s seen this street go from being very lively with many families, to being semi-abandonned like the rest the town. 10 years ago @andreabartoli__ started buying houses here to create an art center : the Farm Cultural Park. Since then the street has become filled with art, visitors and all sorts of events. She is very glad that things have changed in this way since it’s bringing back much needed life!

She chose the word “Respect” because it describes how families used to live here when she was young, in the 40s and 50s. She wants to pass this word on to the younger generation because living together is all about RESPECT!

Paola chose the word “Fede” (Faith) and told me that her faith in the lord has helped her through all the difficulties she’s had to face during her life. She lives in a house surrounded by abandonned homes in a low-income neighbourhood of the low income town of Favara. She keeps her smile on face and has faith in the future.

I tried shadings on this one by making the spray can spit the paint out in a specific way.

Alferdo, 13 years old, chose the word “Amicizia” (friendship). He lives in a largely abandonned neighbourhood of Favara populated by a few local families and African refugees. He told me that the best thing about his life is that he has friends with who he plays and cycles around the neighbourhood. Abandoned houses, ruins and empty streets are both a sad sight and a great playground.

Muftah, a Ghanaian refugee chose the word “Life”. He was working in Libya when the war started and had to flee. He couldn’t go back to Ghana because sub-saharan Africans who move south from Libya regularly get robbed by the Libyan and Nigerien police since it’s understood that they have made money. So he migrated to Europe, embarking on a small boat with 280 other refugees from all over Africa. He got to Sicily and has been working in fields picking olives, oranges, lemons, etc… In Favara, many refugees like Muftah squat abandoned houses, in particular in this neighbourhood nicknamed “Beiruth” .

He told me that you can be rich and then loose everything, material things are of little importance. The most important isn’t to run after wealth but to care about your life.

200th mural on Share The Word Project! In the past 8 years, I’ve painted 200 murals in about 20 different countries around the world, in slums and refugee camps. My aim has been to highlight marginalised people’s voices by painting their words on their walls. I want to make the most of this landmark to thank my friends who’re with me on this adventure : the phographer @spagbertin with who this was started, my assistant Dudu, and other assistants Abdul Malek, Nono and El Afghani! Each mural I’ve painted contains one word, and each word has a person and a story behind it. So many amazing stories!

This time, Carmelo, 15, chose the word MUTURI, a Sicilian word meaning a scooter. He lives in a low income town in Sicily that has undergone a severe recession in the 90s losing 2/3 of its population. The town is in a terrible state and like many kids here, he spent his childhood almost locked inside this ghetto. These last few months, he’s been using a scooter which gives him the freedom to move around and go to neighbouring villages. He also uses it to shop for his mother. His dream is to travel far and maybe go to New York one day!

199 words so far! Show & Share The Word Project in Favara, Italy. This is a list of the 199 words I have painted around the world since I started Share The Word Project in 2013. For 8 years I have been painting words that people have chosen in slums and refugee camps around the world.

I’m currently painting my 200th mural of this on-going project in Favara, a low income town in Sicily which has been going through a brutal recession which has seen the town loose 2/3 of its population since the 90s. I have been invited by @FARMCULTURALPARK to present my work to the public!

My friend @spagbertin who’s a photographer and videomaker started this project with me 8 years ago in Indonesia. He’s with me here too to celebrate in style and colour!

Pictures of my 250m² mural in Ingolstadt’s stadium. FC Ingolstadt is a club playing in Germany’s profesional leagues. They asked me to paint the Südtribüne which is the main supporter’s stand. As usual I didn’t know what I was going to paint before I got to Ingolstadt. Ideas came to me as I was taken for tours around the city and spent time with the fans. The patterns surrounding the badges and coat of arms all have specific meanings. My aim was to make the fans truly feel at home. Like neighbourhoods, stadiums are all about hosting communities!

This is the 3rd football stadium I’ve painted after Berimo Stadium in Ethiopia and my local Stade Michel D’Ornano in Normandy. I feel like I should paint one is Asia or America next, so give us a shout if you happen to own a stadium in Bolivia or Uzbekistan! 😊

Everything’s freehand. No projectors, no stencils, no masking tape.

Wendy was a loved one I lost 14 years ago and who I wish was still with me as I develop as a human and as an artist. Her love of beautiful patterns, colour combinations and design are with me everywhere I go. Her opinion about my work would matter more than anyone’s, but right now I’m happy to simply imagine it.

Thank you to @Frost, Risiko and Lukas for the spot!

Robert, 77 years old, worked at the steelworks before the plant closed in 1993.
He wanted me to paint the word “Fusion” which refers to the steelworks and to the comming together of different communities of workers : the Polish, the Italians, the North Africans and the locals. They even came together with football forming their own club. It was very moving for me to see what kind of impact the steel plant had on the community, and I can’t imagine how they all felt in 1993 when the plant moved to Handan, China.
This one is for Robert, my friend Salah and all the other workers of the SMN in Colombelles.

 

Thank you to Pascale for organising the Micro-Folie event! Thank you to Rick, Clara, Erwan and the team at Le Wip for these few days of painting in a great atmosphere!
Photo by Spag Bertin

Koda’s patience.
The word “patience” was given to me just once on Share The Word Project. It was chosen by Koda La Cadette in the slum of Kombo in Niger.

This year more than ever, I’m trying to be as patient as possible, working on canvases and other projects before I can return to painting in slums and refugee camps. Hope you like this one!

Acrylic on a 60x60cm canvas. Contact me for sales.