Love / حب

Graphics, Other

2021—01       
Houston, TX

Aerosol on Paper 

I wanted to start 2021 off with a sigil, one of positivity and compassion, not just for myself but something I spread to others with relative ease. I came up with this stencil, comprised of the word حب, Arabic for love.

Language had been on my mind for a while, or perhaps more aptly: linguistic differences. There is no word  for “like” in the Arabic language, and instead only the word “love” is used for things you like as well as love. And it got me wondering about how that singular linguistic difference would completely alter one’s relationship with all things and peoples we feel positive about.

In a way, surrounding ourselves with things we like is kind of a cop out; an acceptance of mediocrity. Of being okay with living a life we feel only meekly positive about. Imagine instead a life of love. Of being with people we love, engaging in conversations we love, eating food we love, reading books we love, inhabiting spaces we love, and doing things we love.

One word with the power to alter all aspects of life, incorporated into a universally enduring age-old symbol.