Calligraffiti is an art form that combines calligraphy, typography, and graffiti. It can be classified as either abstract expressionism or abstract vandalism. It is defined as a visual art that integrates letters into compositions that attempt to communicate a broader message through writing that has been aesthetically altered to move beyond the literal meaning. Simply put, it is the conscious effort of making a word or group of words into a visual composition. As such it is meant to be both an aesthetic experience and provocative art—mixing tradition and precision with modern unbridled self-expression.
Calligraffiti at Port de Pêche de Sayada, February, 2017
Calligraffiti in local language on the streets of Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia, 2018
Street art in Djerba Street, Er Ryadh Quarter, Tunisia, by El-Seed, 2014
Street art, Djerba Street, Er Ryadh Quarter, Tunisia, by unknown artist, 2014
Hassan Massoudy, born in 1944, is an Iraqi painter and calligrapher, considered by the French writer Michel Tournier as the "greatest living calligrapher", who currently lives in Paris. His work has influenced a generation of calligraffiti artists.
Hassan Massoudy in his workshop, 2016
"Ecstasy" (Al-Wajd) by Hassan Massoudy, 2001