Greek visual designer Charis Tsevis showcases the beauty of African culture through his series of mosaic portraits with patterns inspired by matchbox houses in Africa. The series African Bricks features digital illustrations depicting famous African figures and Zulu women in their colorful traditional clothing. To compose the illustration, Tsevis uses bricks inspired directly from the typical matchbox houses in the African townships.
Like building a house, the digital artist places the patterned bricks in their places to form the mosaic portraits. In addition to the matchbox house patterns, he also incorporates other bricks filled with other forms of African creativity such as animal skins, fabrics, papers, embroideries, and other materials that reflect the beauty and culture of Africa.
Artist Uses Patterned Bricks To Create Mosaic Paintings Inspired By African Culture
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“I love Africa! For me it’s a constant source of inspiration and a solid point of reference for my life. I have travelled many times to the continent and I have studied Africa’s culture for long. This is a series of artworks inspired by the everyday African life but to also pay a tribute to Shaka Zulu and the long tradition of Zulus, Ndebele, Xhosa and all tribes of the land. They are created for and African restaurant in Athens.”, Tsevis wrote on his website.
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The digital illustrations are printed on wood in 8 colors including the white ink used under some of the patterned bricks to make them look like pieces of metal stuck on the wood. You can purchase limited edition signed and numbered prints from the African Bricks series on his online shop. Or you can follow the artist on Instagram to see his other stunning mosaic portraits.
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