150 street artists covered an old Tunisian village in beautiful murals

By Elizabeth Pierson   From Mashable

For the past two months, 150 artists from 30 nations have been busy in the village of Erriadh, one of the oldest in Tunisia. They have been covering its buildings, gates, windows — almost any flat surface — in murals, in hopes of enticing tourists and infusing the area with new life.

Their graffiti is part of a street art project called Djerbahood, an open-air museum curated by the artist Mehdi Ben Cheikh and Galerie Itinerrance.

Visitors watched along as the scenes took shape.

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A Tunisian woman walks past a mural by Spanish artist Btoy as part of the street art project ‘Djerbahood’ in the village of Erriadh on the island of Djerba.

IMAGE: MOHAMED MESSARA/EPA

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A mural by German artist Dome.

IMAGE: MOHAMED MESSARA/EPA

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Tunisian women sit next to a mural by Portuguese artist Pantonio as part of ‘Djerbahood.’

IMAGE: MOHAMED MESSARA/EPA

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A mural by Belgian artist ROA.

IMAGE: MOHAMED MESSARA/EPA

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A mural by British artist Phlegm peeks in a window in the village of Erriadh.

IMAGE: MOHAMED MESSARA/EPA

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A mural by Polish artist M-city.

IMAGE: MOHAMED MESSARA/EPA

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A mural by US artist Swoon is part of ‘Djerbahood.’ Swoon studied at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn and started doing street art in 1999 and large-scale installations in 2005.

IMAGE: MOHAMED MESSARA/EPA

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Saudi Arabian artist Deyaa One (C) sit in front of the wall he is decorating as part of the street art project ‘Djerbahood.’

IMAGE: MOHAMED MESSARA/EPA

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Murals by Brazilian artist Tinho (L) and Portuguese artist Pantonio (C) are part ofDjerbahood’ in the village of Erriadh.

IMAGE: MOHAMED MESSARA/EPA

H_51530853Murals by US artist Know Hope (L) and Italian artist Orticanoodles (R) decorate a gate as part of the project ‘Djerbahood.’

IMAGE: MOHAMED MESSARA/EPA

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A mechanic stands next to a mural by Spanish artist Malakkai as part of the street art project ‘Djerbahood’. The project was initiated by Tunisian-French artist Mehdi Ben Cheikh and aims at enlivening the village and attracting tourists.

IMAGE: MOHAMED MESSARA/EPA

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A mural by Mexican artist Saner is part of the exhibit in the village of Erriadh.

IMAGE: MOHAMED MESSARA/EPA

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A Tunisian woman and her daughter walk past a mural by Spanish artist Btoy.

IMAGE: MOHAMED MESSARA/EPA

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A Tunisian man walks with his children past a mural by Mexican artist Saner as part of the street art project.

IMAGE: MOHAMED MESSARA/EPA

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A mural by Japanese artist Twoone basks in afternoon sunlight in ‘Djerbahood.’

IMAGE: MOHAMED MESSARA/EPA

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Tunisian women enter a door near a mural by French artist Dan23 as part of the street art project ‘Djerbahood.’

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