Yazan Halawani, 22, is a Lebanese graffiti artist whose talent exceeds expectations. All those who witness his art draw from his creativity and listen to Beirut as it speaks through his paintings.

“I draw Lebanon’s true faces,” Halawani said, noting that politicians in Lebanon stripped the country of its true identity, represented by the legendary figures Yazan spray paints on the walls from Hamra to Gemmayzeh.

Halawani says graffiti grows with the city as artists like himself draw on its history and people to create his masterpieces, adding that the country’s social, economic and intellectual culture should be a focal point in the process of building a proper state.

He first began to paint murals without legal permission but decided to seek the approval of property owners as well as Beirut Governor Ziad Shebib before starting a new project.

It took Halawani over six months to process the permission to paint the portrait of Lebanese singing legend Sabah on the building housing “Costa” coffee shop in Hamra.

 Yazan doesn’t only use spray paint cans; he has successfully introduced many unconventional tools such as large paint brushes which are normally avoided when working on such murals.

Adapted from an article originally written in Arabic by Elham Fanous