'Working on the rubble': Artist paints on quake-hit Turkey city

Istanbul: Artist Saype, known for his murals around the world, unveiled on Friday a piece painted on rubble in the southern Turkish city Antakya, devastated by February's deadly quake.

The February 6 quake in Turkey and war-ravaged Syria killed more than 55,000 people and left thousands homeless and reliant on international assistance.

The black and white mural of two hands holding each other was painted on 1,000 square meters (10,700 square feet) of rubble, in a space that was once home to residential buildings, a bakery and tailor. "It used to be a lively street," Guillaume Legros, known as Saype, told AFP.

"When the earthquake hit, I was moved. I came here in July and I couldn't believe it. I realised the extent of the catastrophe," the Frenchman, whose wife was born in Turkey, said.

He decided to dedicate a project to the survivors of the earthquake on the ruins of the now unrecognisable ancient town. "I worked directly on the rubble, on old homes, on family photos. I'd never painted on stones before," the artist said, who is known for painting on grass.

During the 16 days Saype was working on the piece, he met locals who had lived in tents and shipping containers for eight months since the disaster. "We met many people who used to live in the apartments upon whose rubble were painting. They came to collect objects."

"They were shocked but thanked us for coming," he said, adding that he wants his work to put a spotlight on the needs of survivors in Antakya. The artist now plans to sell prints of the piece to raise money for survivors and families of victims.

A giant biodegradable land art painting located between damaged buildings by French-Swiss artist Guillaume Legros, known as Saype, from the Beyond Walls project in Hatay.