- I just feel that I'm a person

that has something to say,

and instead of saying it and using words,

says it by just putting some paint on a surface.

My name is Halwani, and I'm a street artist from Beirut.

The reason I paint portraits

or figures that kind of show our country is very simple.

When I started painting all over the city,

I used to have to remove photos of politicians,

and political logos and election posters.

These politicians weren't necessarily good at their job,

occupy most of the urban landscape,

and this is where I actually wanted to replace them

with something more positive that the citizens of Beirut,

that the presence of these people is really optional.

There's a very complicated question of identity,

when it comes to: what does it mean to be Lebanese?

And this is another reason why I paint these faces.

They represent the stories of Lebanon, Beirut,

and the Arab world in general.

A mural can make a wall not only a wall,

but maybe something that creates

a relationship of people with an element in the street,

and I think it kind of spreads positivity

and changes the perspective of people

from their everyday life.

I really appreciate the people that compare me to Banksy.

I really appreciate Banksy's work,

and I think it's smart, it's, uh, witty,

and he has a lot of credit

when it comes to the global street art movement.

I don't paint just for the sake of painting,

or for the sake of capitalizing on a certain event.

I just paint when I feel

that I have something constructive to say.