A Conversation With Oussama aka SET: A Brilliant Street Artist From Algeria

This time, the interview is with one of Algeria’s most talented street artists, Oussama, also known as SET, who made the decision to pursue street art several years ago.

Discovering his street art skills through his sports teacher, was one factor to consider in his life as an artist. But without ignoring his gift for drawing, which has been evolving since his childhood. Thus, in this interview, we will get to know more about how his journey began, his thoughts on street art in Algeria, as well as his photography skills that contribute to his mural style.

Can you present yourself to us? What do you do?

I am set, I am a street artist from Oran, Algeria.

How and when did your journey with drawing art begin?

I first began to draw when I was approximately five years old. My parents supported me by purchasing me a ton of drawing papers; I used to draw only buildings. The part that really motivated me was when my parents used to hang all of my drawings on the walls throughout the house. When you walk inside the house, you immediately see them all there, but still, my parents didn’t seem to mind that the neighbors saw all of the drawings. This was what really motivated me. It truly impacted me. Then there was a period when I stopped drawing, but I started again during my BAC year.

What are your thoughts on street art in Algeria?

Street art in Algeria, you might say, is brand-new and only began to gain popularity in 2014/2015, individuals are anxious to discover it and to get involved in it. The government is afraid of the people too; so they do not encourage this field of art or support you with big projects. The government wants those street artists to create art in the interest of the government. The truth is that the public is still fearful and still holds the same beliefs as when they first started criticizing us, that what we are doing is wrong and Masonic.

Who are the figures you paint?

You might say that my art is basically, about me and my childhood. Therefore, these types of portraits are of random people as I visualize them; as a result, I integrate them in a certain manner, and that is how you see them.

What can you tell us about creating those characters?

Recently, I have been working on a project called Ouled el-Houma “Neighbourhood Kids”. There is a little boy who fantasizes about himself being in a kingdom, even though he is only in his neighborhood. In that neighborhood, he begins to engage in street fights or those street wars with children from another nearby neighborhood; but in his imagination, he is in a kingdom in another parallel world. Each character in that world has a unique backstory, including the king, the boy’s real friends — are people who reside in the kingdom like the castle guards — and the queen. However, you can always sense a childlike touch in his world since the little boy still has an inner child. He perceives things differently, such as cars; he sees them as toy cars, the same with buildings…etc. Thus, it’s me who inspires all of this narrative; since as a child, we used to take part in such street fights, which is how the concept came to me.

How did you learn to paint on walls?

I first used paint on a wall around 2016 when the sports teacher asked me to paint shoes on the wall of the sports hall so I said why not. Before that, I had only drawn with crayons on paper. It was challenging at first because I felt it bizarre to switch from a small size to a bigger size form, but over time, I understood how it works. Also, in the beginning, I was just drawing without any reasoning or techniques I did not know what I’m doing…, especially painting mostly because I could not find any other artists to hang out with, with whom I would learn more about it. As a result, I was the one who developed my own drawing and painting techniques. From that experience, I realized how much I love this type of artwork more than any other type of drawing. And every time I worked in this sports hall, my skills further developed. You can say that this place is truly where my artistic journey began because I really discovered a lot of new things about this domain of artwork.

How would you describe street art? And what are your thoughts on working outdoors compared to working indoors?

Street art is something you cannot really feel or tell if it has value or not, except when you are working on it, which is like an addiction. Addiction to the period of the working process.

I prefer to work outside because it always allows me to explore new areas and meet new people. It also gives your artwork the chance to be seen by a variety of individuals of all ages and social classes and they actually can witness you working on it. Moreover, it is not only found at expositions or workshops making it accessible exclusively to artistic people and educated individuals; instead, murals are accessible to everyone. It is a form of art that is made for everyone.

How does your family perceive and think about what you do?

At first, they thought it is bizarre to work outside, but they soon liked it and supported me all the way, in fact, they want me to work in more places and learn more.

Some people consider graffiti to be vandalism. What is your attitude toward that?

Well, there are two types of street art: mural and graffiti. Graffiti is word-based; meaning those who use tagging by spray-painting their names on the walls, and that is it and each one has his own style; mural instead is working on a painting, sketching, or drawing characters, as I do. Thus, it all relies on how people see those types.

Have you any favorite surfaces to work on? (Wall, canvas, metals, forex,)? If so why?

You can say that I work with all the materials on paintings or even on collage painting; whether wood, metal, forex, and craft I just don’t want to limit myself to only one material.

What is your favorite part of doing murals?

The best part about drawing on the walls is when you are done. Or initially when you are working; people passing by, while you are painting, might just see lines and traces, not realizing what you are actually doing; but towards the end, when they see the final touch, they have a different facial expression of astonishment … I love that part.

Did the police ever stop you while painting?

The police, yes they detained me in Algiers; because Algiers is a strict city. I was with a friend once when we were detained for painting under the bridge. It depends on where you work; you may work outside without permission, which is risky because it is illegal and police can arrest you at any time, or you work at ease for someone with authorization.

Do you envision how the scene would look on the street before painting your artwork on street walls?

Yes for sure, the space gives me sometimes the idea of what to paint in that place. Thus, painting on the walls always has something to do with the place or the street. As a result, space plays a significant role in your artwork. It is as though the space imposes on you what artwork is appropriate, so you need to go after space. Sometimes when I am walking down the street and I glance at a certain space, I immediately envision what art painting it fits into. So space inspires me too.

How did Covid19 affect you as a street artist?

During the COVID and quarantine periods, I immediately stopped doing street art for about a year or two. However, this was the time when I truly grew as a street artist. I learned a lot about painting as well as art making, including how to use palettes… Without that time, I would not be where I am now.

We see on your Instagram page that your other interest is photography. How does photography contribute to your art?

And yes, I do street photography and want to incorporate it into my artworks, but I’m not sure how, I haven’t figured it out yet; possibly in the future.

Photography has really helped me because it teaches you the skill of composition. It is a useful tool for developing composition, colors, and lighting, among other things, which will afterward have a beneficial effect on the drawing’s artwork.

You have such interesting photography capabilities. How do you pick your scenes to shoot?

Well, what is also good about photography is that when you find an intriguing sight or a good composition, you can just take your phone and capture anything you want without worrying about anyone stopping you or opposing your actions.

Despite the country’s miserable situation, especially in the art field, what motivates you to keep moving forward and evolve?

Despite the situation in the country and the mentality of the people in the society, my own motivation comes from me. I always try to motivate myself; I motivate myself with the projects that I create. I’m constantly thinking about what the outcomes of my artwork would be, so when I realize it, it would be a very great satisfaction for me. It is like having an idea and getting up every morning to make it happen, so achieving it truly pleases and motivates me. I also genuinely want to see paintings, murals, and other forms of art all around our country, so I ask myself why we don’t have these arts here so that motivates me too.

Certainly, the art you do takes most of your energy and time. How does that affect your life?

And yes it takes all your energy and time. It is the thing that took up most of my time, and I put a lot of energy into it more than anything. It would impact many areas of my life compared to people’s daily lives but I do not regret it because it is something I really love.

Any advice for aspiring new artists encouraging them to express their minds and never give up on their artistic projects?

What I want to say is that when you start a project similar to this, you should work on it for yourself, not for a certain group of individuals. If you are convinced and believed that it is the right thing to do, go for it; in that way, you would evolve into a better version of yourself.

SET’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/setwayart/