There are many good reasons to go to Djerba. But, in addition to well-known coasts and the mild climate that makes you want to holiday all year, the Tunisian island has recently become a Mecca for fans of street art. The small village of Erriadh, an ancient town with narrow streets and traditional menzel homes, is in fact the heart of the very interesting Djerbahood project. Promoter and soul of the project is the Parisian Galerie Itinerrance, which for years has represented important street artists. The idea of the director was to find a space that could be made fully available to artists, as a three-dimensional canvas.
The village of Erriadh proved the perfect place: white walls, wide open spaces and with a population half Muslim and half Jewish open to experimentation and exchange with different cultures. So, as of last June, the Galerie has organized the stays of a week for street artists selected from 30 different nations. Creative people have each had seven days available to work and leave their mark on the town, but always respecting the environment and buildings. The first works were presented to the public several months ago, but the artists will take turns until next summer. By the end of this time one hundred and fifty artists will have contributed to Djerbahood and we do not know what form the project will take and what unrevealed collaborations may arise. A small note of national pride is that the Milanese Orticanoodles has already left his signature for Italy.
WHERE: Erriadh, Djerba, Tunisia