Artist creates mural in Airbnb home and receives full refund for his stay
'This what happens when you leave me alone in your home in Tokyo!'
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Your support makes all the difference.In normal circumstances, an Airbnb guest vandalising your home would be considered a crime.
But for one host renting out his Tokyo apartment, it was an altruistic gesture that led him to refund his lodger’s entire stay.
The host - known only as 'Eric', and thought to be Canadian - was thrilled when artist Ali Sabet booked to stay in his apartment during Tokyo Art Fair, at which he was exhibiting.
As a loyal fan and follower of his work, Eric left a note in the apartment for Sabet on check-in, making an unconventional request.
“I hope I’m not overstepping, but I was wondering if you’d be willing to leave me with a small piece of your inspiration?" he wrote.
“‘There’s a small white plaster wall and a slate-grey front door inside the apartment. I would absolutely love to have you paint anything from what inspires you from your time in Japan.”
The American-Iranian painter obligingly got to work, creating a large black and white mural on the white wall using Japanese paintbrushes and traditional Sumi ink.
He recreated some of his trademark illustrations, consisting of portraits of women with thick eyelashes and pouty lips overlapping one another.
On the black door, he painted a mural featuring a number of Japanese characters in gold.
As a thank you for his work, Eric refunded Sabet’s entire stay and invited him to return to the apartment whenever he was in town.
It's not as generous a gesture as you might imagine, however. Sabet’s paintings typically sell for $3,000 (£2,285).
“Painting on the walls of this incredible and tiny home in Shibuya, Tokyo was a dream,” Sabet wrote on Bored Panda.
“I’m so grateful I got to create and leave a piece of me in Tokyo – a place that I’d like to call my second home someday!”
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