The animating concept behind Farid’s latest creative output has been his oscillating notions on the realities of conflict and competition overwhelming our world. But ever the optimist in his painting, Farid bravely seeks a reconstitution of not only the elements of his painting, but also these extant elemental forces in our current world which are constantly at odds with one another.
As one of our most anticipated annual fixtures, the internationally-acclaimed Ahmed Farid – Egypt’s foremost contemporary abstract artist – will be unveiling his sixth solo collection with Safarkhan from January 10 to February 1, 2023. The animating concept behind Farid’s latest creative output has been his oscillating notions on the realities of conflict and competition overwhelming our world. Farid, in attempts to come to terms with these unceasingly opposing and colliding forces, whether they be within technological, political, economical, social or spiritual spheres, expounds on these resonant forces in the only way he effectively knows how to, by putting paint to canvas and communicating through art, his emotions and impressions on our current collective state. In doing so, Farid has emerged from the chaotic and turbulent nature of the past years with another resounding collection in his inimitable style. This time however, with a newfound yet somewhat undetermined flair and the extraordinary ability to offer an almost illustrative critique as he interprets the world around us through canvas and color.
In many ways, Farid’s brand of unapologetically unconventional abstraction is in essence the ideal vehicle for internalizing the environmental forces we are contending with as a species in the here and now. An environment defined by these unrelenting, competing and contrasting forces, fortunes, values and so much else, on the individual and collective levels. This all-consuming state of affairs sees us continually inundated with politics and propaganda, confusion and uncertainty, guilt and division, tearing away critical moral and ethical foundations piece by piece as human beings become more atomized and isolated, from one another and from inner peace than ever before. It is a collision of mindsets too that Farid’s art contends with, which is why we see more frayed and electrified splashes and streaks of color that suggest notions of deconstruction and an upsetting of equilibrium, or worse, its demolition. But ever the optimist in his painting, Farid bravely seeks a reconstitution of not only the elements of his painting, but also these extant elemental forces in our current world which are constantly at odds with one another. His is a persevered quest to find common ground and establish lasting bonds, in a bid to spread a message of unification, solidarity and hope. This is what attributes Farid’s painting its uniqueness, that it is borne out of deeply rooted ideologies.
The artworks in this collection abound with such feelings, despite in some instances their frenetic and frenzied nature, mirroring the commotion in the world around us, Farid also gives us canvases with a more digestible and holistic composition. The latter are works of softer, more subtle and complementary color schemes, rather than those which are defined by the pronounced nature of divergent tones of blues and oranges. As the two most prominent hues in this collection, both themselves entirely contrasting, Farid encapsulates the idea of collision in this pair so aptly. The largest works in this collection are magnificent portrayals of Farid’s enigmatic brand of abstraction, countless layers of stories and tones of iridescent orange painstakingly combined with his eclectic palette, provide the backdrop for a limitless series of archways, windows and doors, signifying the passage between space and time into another dimension. We also see Farid tread new territory in terms of the composition in his smaller works, where he advances certain styles we would not typically associate his art with, yet he accomplishes them with a zeal and originality that gives them belonging. These miniatures span forms of; tessellated block patchworks, circular vortexes, splash and blotch composition, as well as a foray into muted pastel colors accentuated with identifiable patterns and shapes.
