Monday, February 22, 2010
ACAF Business Cards
Business cards for ACAF (Alexandria Contemporary Art Forum), based on ACAF's already existing logo, their website, and the space itself.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Public Tongue Slipping
I've apparently got a talk later today; Thursday, February 18, at the Palace of the Arts at 7:00 pm.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Building Big Face
Although the big face entrance built for my current show is practically a cube with a face on stuck on it, making it involved a lot of details.
The location prior to any tinkering. It's one of the most unused spaces at the Palace of the Arts, yet one that I've always loved walking through.
Installing the face's basic supporting structure.
Installing the asymmetric arch for the face's screaming mouth, which also acts as the entrance to the room of paintings.
Bottom half done.
Up we go.
Almost there.
And that's the basic structure for big face entrance.
The wood used for the structure was old and used for something else before, so it needed to be worked on and painted over and smoothed out to make it as clean and appropriate as possible for the adhesive vinyl that was to be stuck onto it later.
Vinyl time.
The face was printed on 4 vinyl strips.
2 strips up, 2 to go.
Big face in final glory, after completion of vinyl installation, mounting of nose, "city hair" and teeth. I purposely didn't hang any paintings on the wall inside right in front of the entrance, to leave it at that pink gradient inner-mouth-like color.
The location prior to any tinkering. It's one of the most unused spaces at the Palace of the Arts, yet one that I've always loved walking through.
Installing the face's basic supporting structure.
Installing the asymmetric arch for the face's screaming mouth, which also acts as the entrance to the room of paintings.
Bottom half done.
Up we go.
Almost there.
And that's the basic structure for big face entrance.
The wood used for the structure was old and used for something else before, so it needed to be worked on and painted over and smoothed out to make it as clean and appropriate as possible for the adhesive vinyl that was to be stuck onto it later.
Vinyl time.
The face was printed on 4 vinyl strips.
2 strips up, 2 to go.
Big face in final glory, after completion of vinyl installation, mounting of nose, "city hair" and teeth. I purposely didn't hang any paintings on the wall inside right in front of the entrance, to leave it at that pink gradient inner-mouth-like color. But those pictures actually make it look more straightforward than it actually was. Given the time constraints of putting it all together, there were some details within details that made making this happen a little slightly difficult.
First, I took a picture of myself screaming in terror to use as reference for big face illustration.
I opted for something a little more goofy, stylish, disturbing and unrealistic.
I based the proportions of the illustration on the sizes of an "architectural" design I made of the entrance.
Hoping for an end result that would look a little something like this.
I'd say it turned out close enough.
I think the biggest difference is the teeth, which I had to make smaller and higher so people walking in don't hit their heads.
Because I wanted the room to be pink, I needed the stone walls to be entirely cladded in wood from inside the room.
Of course the stone that showed being sandwiched between both wooded walls needed to be covered.
The tongue, nose, and hair would still need to be chopped up, put together, and painted before mounting.
And of course I had to paint buildings on the massive hair cutouts before having them mounted. I initially wanted to draw insane little details in the "cityscape hair," people putting out their clothes to dry, cars buses, garbage on the rooftops, billboard details, that sort of thing. I had to put that idea aside though, because I only got the hair cutout from the carpenters two days before the opening, so I just went for thick quick brush strokes and sloppy windows, which worked out pretty alright I guess.
First, I took a picture of myself screaming in terror to use as reference for big face illustration.
I opted for something a little more goofy, stylish, disturbing and unrealistic.
I based the proportions of the illustration on the sizes of an "architectural" design I made of the entrance.
Hoping for an end result that would look a little something like this.I'd say it turned out close enough.
I think the biggest difference is the teeth, which I had to make smaller and higher so people walking in don't hit their heads.
Because I wanted the room to be pink, I needed the stone walls to be entirely cladded in wood from inside the room.
Of course the stone that showed being sandwiched between both wooded walls needed to be covered.
The tongue, nose, and hair would still need to be chopped up, put together, and painted before mounting.
And of course I had to paint buildings on the massive hair cutouts before having them mounted. I initially wanted to draw insane little details in the "cityscape hair," people putting out their clothes to dry, cars buses, garbage on the rooftops, billboard details, that sort of thing. I had to put that idea aside though, because I only got the hair cutout from the carpenters two days before the opening, so I just went for thick quick brush strokes and sloppy windows, which worked out pretty alright I guess.Almasryalyoum.com on Slip of the Tongue
"if you get exhausted before reaching the end of the labyrinthine path through the Palace of Arts, you risk missing one of the most exciting and interesting exhibits in the whole show: Ganzeer’s 'Slip of the Tongue.'" writes Max Strasser for Almasryalyoum.com
"“I don’t like how a lot of art shows are often limited to this white cube and a bunch of drawings,' says Ganzeer, explaining his decision to turn the second room into a mouth. If this is a common problem, Ganzeer has found a solution. The bright pink walls create a sense of energy and purpose to the show. The room itself becomes part of the exhibit."
It's a pretty insightful and quite spot-on review from Max, I must say.
"“I don’t like how a lot of art shows are often limited to this white cube and a bunch of drawings,' says Ganzeer, explaining his decision to turn the second room into a mouth. If this is a common problem, Ganzeer has found a solution. The bright pink walls create a sense of energy and purpose to the show. The room itself becomes part of the exhibit."
It's a pretty insightful and quite spot-on review from Max, I must say.
Egyptian Love
I was driving through downtown Cairo when I saw this little scene that I just had to sketch.
It really sums up a lot of things about this country, wallahy.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Slip of the Tongue: Walk-Through Video
A few minutes prior to the opening of my art show, Slip of the Tongue, my girlfriend Aleksandra shot a little walk-through video of the show, comprised of an installation+paintings.
"Slip of the Tongue" is shown alongside the works of 40 other artists at a show titled "Why Not?," curated by Mohammed Talaat and showing at the Palace of the Arts on the Cairo Opera House grounds in Cairo, Egypt between February 7th and March 11th 2010.
"Slip of the Tongue" is shown alongside the works of 40 other artists at a show titled "Why Not?," curated by Mohammed Talaat and showing at the Palace of the Arts on the Cairo Opera House grounds in Cairo, Egypt between February 7th and March 11th 2010.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Slip of the Tongue: Opening Night
The opening night of the show was a huge success. Hundreds of dozens of people showed up, and reactions were generally really awesomely flattering. One of my most exciting memories of the night was walking into the Palace of the Arts and seeing everybody walking out with a copy of "From the End / من الأخر", which I incorporated into my installation.
Wish I'd taken a picture of that sight.
Signage outside of the Palace featuring the question mark logo I designed for the show.
My installation and entrance into the painting room.
The entrance from a different view where you can see one of the paintings.
Peeps going through the "From the End" booklet in my installation.
Peeps showing off "From the End"
Friends analyzing the paintings.
I made a haha!!
With the guys working at the Palace.
Posing like a cool dude in front of my entrance prior to the opening.
With my friend Ahmed Fahim, interacting with Hany Rashed's installation outside the Palace.
Wish I'd taken a picture of that sight.
Signage outside of the Palace featuring the question mark logo I designed for the show.
My installation and entrance into the painting room.
The entrance from a different view where you can see one of the paintings.
Peeps going through the "From the End" booklet in my installation.
Peeps showing off "From the End"
Friends analyzing the paintings.
I made a haha!!
With the guys working at the Palace.
Posing like a cool dude in front of my entrance prior to the opening.
With my friend Ahmed Fahim, interacting with Hany Rashed's installation outside the Palace.Sunday, February 7, 2010
Slip of the Tongue Tonight at 7:30!
Pretty excited about the opening of "Slip of the Tongue" at "WHY NOT?" tonight at the Palace of the Arts on the Cairo Opera House grounds at 7:30 pm!
So far the comments I've been getting are really flattering and absolutely mind-blowing, mostly comments from the Palace workers, carpenters, cleaners, people who might not necessarily be the most artistically critical, but working at the Palace of the Arts and all, I'm sure they've come across a looooooot of people's art, so if they say "this is really something else," then I am very well gonna take what they say seriously.
But walking around the Palace during the process of putting the show together, I've come across a lot of really fantastic work by so many different artists, it's really humbling to be showing my work amongst 44 masterful works of art!
So far the comments I've been getting are really flattering and absolutely mind-blowing, mostly comments from the Palace workers, carpenters, cleaners, people who might not necessarily be the most artistically critical, but working at the Palace of the Arts and all, I'm sure they've come across a looooooot of people's art, so if they say "this is really something else," then I am very well gonna take what they say seriously.
But walking around the Palace during the process of putting the show together, I've come across a lot of really fantastic work by so many different artists, it's really humbling to be showing my work amongst 44 masterful works of art!
Monday, February 1, 2010
Lost at E-minor's Eye on Slip of the Tongue
Lostateminor.com, 3rd column, down, section: What You're Doing, Zolton mentions he "is looking at images for Ganzeer’s next art show on February 7th in Cairo."
Sweet! Thanks, Zolton!
Sweet! Thanks, Zolton!
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