Artist paints on quake-hit Hatay

HATAY

Artist Saype, known for his murals around the world, has unveiled a piece painted on rubble in the southern province of Hatay’s Antakya district, which received major damage in the devastating Feb. 6 earthquakes.

The black and white mural of two hands holding each other was painted on 1,000 square meters (10,700 square feet) of rubble, in a space that was once home to residential buildings, a bakery and tailor.

"It used to be a lively street," Guillaume Legros, known as Saype, told AFP.

"When the earthquake hit, I was moved. I came here in July, and I couldn't believe it. I realized the extent of the catastrophe," the Frenchman, whose wife was born in Türkiye, said.

He decided to dedicate a project to the survivors of the earthquake on the ruins of the now unrecognizable ancient town.

"I worked directly on the rubble, on old homes, on family photos. I'd never painted on stones before," the artist said, who is known for painting on grass.

During the 16 days Saype was working on the piece, he met locals who had lived in tents and shipping containers for eight months since the disaster.

"We met many people who used to live in the apartments upon whose rubble we were painting. They came to collect objects."

"They were shocked but thanked us for coming," he said, adding that he wants his work to put a spotlight on the needs of survivors in Antakya.

The artist now plans to sell prints of the piece to raise money for survivors and families of victims.

The Feb. 6 earthquakes claimed the lives of more than 50,000 people, while numerous historical structures and ancient sites were gravely damaged, especially in Hatay’s centuries-old district of Antakya.