Sometimes the starting point for one of my works can be a poem or a prose, something that inspires me to produce a work of art, to accentuate the meaning I find in the words of others.

And, in the case of I Wish, the calligraphic mural that Seb Lester created for the London Mural Festival 2020 was exactly like this.
The poetry he paid homage to with his impressive lettering, which makes him one of the world’s best-known and appreciated calligraphers, is by the Persian mystic and poet of 1300 Hafez.

I wish I could show you when you are lonely or in darkness the astonishing light of your own being.

The reason he chose to reproduce this poem on a wall in London’s Holborn district is that, according to Lester, Hafez’s poems do not have time, they transcend cultures, borders, and politics because they deal with love, spirituality, loss, and protest.
They recount the human condition, the intensity of life in all its facets, whether happy or suffering, equal in time and space.

The mural is visible at 10 John St, Holborn, WC1N 2EB, but is also available in two limited edition prints, signed and numbered by the artist, on his website.