Birth, facts and some pieces of the puzzle of an unusual life, year by year to the present.
2012
Charif is invited by publisher Raúl Herrero to participate in the book-tribute Arrabal 80, celebrating the birthday of Fernando Arrabal. Published by Libros del Innombrable (Spain), and with texts by Arrabal friends as Samuel Beckett, Milan Kundera, Alejandro Jodorowsky, Eugene Ionesco and Michel Houellebecq among others, Charif participates with a philosophical text printed on a Sudarium without face. To read the complete text by Charif (in Spanish), please click here.
Book cover, and page with Charif’s text
In September Charif represents Argentina in Art Expo Malaysia, with a one man show, in Argentina Embassy booth.
(Caution: This exhibition was presented without any kind of support from Argentinian government and the artist was invited previously by the fair, and the booth completely financed by Asian, Dutch and French private companies. The trip was sponsored by KLM / Air France. Charif was directly invited by the fair, and Embassy gave just some logistic support -thanks especially to Ambassador María Isabel Rendón-, and without financial support.)
Here a few images from the opening night (please, click on thumbnails to enlarge)
KLM / Air France (one of the sponsors for Charif’s solo exhibition in Art Expo Malaysia) commissioned him a series of prints about ancient gods Fu, Lu and Shou (福祿壽). Such 88 signed copies were gifted by the company to his major clients in Asia.
Please, click on thumbnails to enlarge
Lamborghini Kuala Lumpur commissions to Gustavo Charif the portrait of the new Lamborghini Aventador. Customers and audience are invited to the Lamborghini show room to witness the artist painting the canvas.
This project was conceived to contribute to the growth of an uncompromising art scene in Malaysia but, at the same time, contribute to the knowledge of Latin American Art and build new links between Asia and America.
The painting was auctioned by the main art auctioneer in Malaysia (Henry Butcher Art Auctioneers), with the purpose of to raise funds for the next stage of the project: to create a specialized library of Latin American arts at the Balai Seni Visual Negara (National Art Gallery of Kuala Lumpur).
The artwork was exhibited in White Box until October 27, and the auction, where the painting was successful sold, took place in October 28.
To see more about it, please go to the sub-section COMMISSIONS in section FINE ARTS.
The following is a selection of the different stages (please, click on thumbnails to enlarge)
![Firth day. Ready to start. [Photo by Alexander Krasnikov.]](https://i0.wp.com/gustavocharif.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/lamb-001-photoalexanderkrasniko.jpg?w=80&h=80&crop=1&ssl=1)
![First day on the big canvas. [Photos: Dion Isham.]](https://i0.wp.com/gustavocharif.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/chron-0113-05-photosdionisham.jpg?w=80&h=80&crop=1&ssl=1)
![With Liberty, ending the fifth day with the canvas almost done. [Photo: Alexander Krasnikov.]](https://i0.wp.com/gustavocharif.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/lamb-018-photoalexanderkrasnikov.jpg?w=80&h=80&crop=1&ssl=1)
!["Lamborghini Odyssey" (2012). [Photo: Dion Isham.]](https://i0.wp.com/gustavocharif.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/lamb-043-photodionisham.jpg?w=80&h=80&crop=1&ssl=1)
![Dato' Mukhriz bin Tun Dr. Mahathir sharing views with Gustavo Charif. [Photo: Malaysian Reserve (International Herald Tribune, NYT)].](https://i0.wp.com/gustavocharif.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/lamb-058.jpg?w=80&h=80&crop=1&ssl=1)
![Giving autographs. Dinner with Lamborghini customers, and Henry Butcher Art Auctioneers team. [Photo by Dion Isham.]](https://i0.wp.com/gustavocharif.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/lamb-061-photodionisham.jpg?w=80&h=80&crop=1&ssl=1)
![Great speech! Dinner with Lamborghini customers, and Henry Butcher Art Auctioneers team. [Photo by Dion Isham.]](https://i0.wp.com/gustavocharif.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/lamb-062-photodionisham.jpg?w=80&h=80&crop=1&ssl=1)
![With Lamborghini Kuala Lumpur Chairman Mr. Isham Ariff. (Dinner with Lamborghini customers, and Henry Butcher Art Auctioneers team.) [Photo by Dion Isham.]](https://i0.wp.com/gustavocharif.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/lamb-063-withlamborghiniklchairmanmrishamariff-photodionisham.jpg?w=80&h=80&crop=1&ssl=1)
![With Lamborghini's customers. [Photo by Dion Isham.]](https://i0.wp.com/gustavocharif.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/lamb-064.jpg?w=80&h=80&crop=1&ssl=1)
November 12: Meeting with the great Malaysian-Indian painter Syed Thajudeen, who visited the exhibition at Art Expo Malaysia and invited Charif to his home. There, Thajudeen showed his works explaining his original technique and after, in a typical Indian restaurant, talked with Charif about different cultures and civilizations.
Charif and Syed Thajudeen (with a Charif’s book in his hands)
November 22: Talk to the students in The One Academy (Selangor), about the process of creation and the differences between art and design.
Charif and some students with a few more questions after the talk
2013
Charif giving the conference in the National Visual Arts Museum of Malaysia
January 31: Conference at Balai Seni Visual Negara (the National Visual Arts Museum of Malaysia) to a full hall of students and art lovers.
Opening day (and night) at Maison Française (Kuala Lumpur)
March 6 to July 6: Absolute Charif. Big solo exhibition in the brand-new art-space of Maison Française (Kuala Lumpur). He presents there micro-paintings and collages, but also a series of large and medium size new canvases like Narco Tintin, Mind your Mind, Silence please, Convention of Extraterrestrials, People need to understand / Lessons From The Fall, Golden Trash, Into the Unknown, Rotten Mondrian, More Than Just Crunch, Cannibal Holocaust, The Future Woman, Nightmare of a Beast, Heaven in Hell, Just for fun (Study about freedom), among other artworks.
The following is a brief selection of the works (please, click on thumbnails to enlarge)
The flyer and poster for the exhibition were a conceptual work, inspired by the classical design of the political pamphlets during elections in Malaysia.
Absolute Charif
the flyer and the political inspiration
As exception, and after many years rejecting interviews, Gustavo Charif gives three long interviews to the Asian press in some of the most important newspapers and magazines (Focus, The Star and The Peak). These will be his lasts appears in media.
Some Asian press
On May, through Mr. Rashid Mairza Al Mulla, Head of Foreign Affairs of the Embassy of the State of Qatar in Malaysia, the Embassy requests to Gustavo Charif to create an artwork that portrays his personal vision of Qatar for a special event: the international Peace & Security Forum, celebrated on May 16th in the Ritz Carlton Hotel.
Qatar Dream (2013) · 122 x 183 cm · oil and mixed media on canvas
Detail of Qatar Dream (2013) · photo by Li Xin-Xian
The unique and big scale artwork was used to enhance the positive atmosphere at the event and create a topic discussion between the prestigious guests (amongst which was His Excellency Dr. Khalid bin Mohammed Al Attiyah, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of the State of Qatar, and the former Prime Minister of Malaysia, his Excellency Tun Abdullah Haji Ahmad Badawi). The artwork made a strong impact and was admired by the many guests. Charif, who was present at the event, answered numerous questions and talked about his art.
Former Prime Minister of Malaysia, former Qatar’s Minister of Finance and former Charif’s girlfriend
amongst other distinguish visitors
In this year, Charif takes part of three international fairs: Art Osaka (Japan, July 19-20-21th), Art Expo Malaysia (September 19-22th) and CUTLOG Paris (October 24-27th).
Opening night at Art Expo Malysia 2013 and some French prensa about Charif in Cutlog Paris 2013
2013 is also the year in which Charif writes in Singapore (a country that he loves and which will be crucial in his life) The Treachery of the Artists, a statement originally in English and which you can read clicking here.
Pierre sur Rrose du Champ (2014, digital intervention and photo-montage, based on Marcel Duchamp)
and Grimpoteuthis Resident (2014, digital intervention and photo-montage)
2014
Represented by Fuman Art (France), Charif’s works are show in CUTLOG New York, international art fair.
Opening day at Cutlog New York, and some Chinese press about the fair
Ending the year Charif creates the series of Visual Viruses, an extremely experimental film series, aesthetically iconoclast, in which mix all the resources tested through thirty years of visual experimentation, starting with the first three: 一九八四 (English title 1984), Waiting for Dogot and Intolerance (or Best places in the world are places where human left no traces). Full playlist with the Visual Virus is clicking here. Most part of this series is based on film-collage techniques with interventions in public domain footage or archives (reframing them, adding effects, changes of light and colour, and all kind of digital procedures, often making complex sound edition and sometimes using music composed and performed by himself).
2015
After five years of coined the terms “mondonism” and “mondonist”, Charif is commissioned to creates the logo of the Novus Org Mondo (the aesthetic branch of the N.O.M., Novus Org Mundi). From 1th January 2015, the Novus Org Mondo will build publicy visual works (although keeping the anonymity of their members as well as activities and members of the Novus Org Mundi). From now, Charif, as external artist collaborator, will make different works for N.O.M. behind different pseudonyms.
Novus Org Mondo emblem (2015)
-the only work created by Charif for N.O.M. using his real name-
On January 17, Charif has a wonderful encounter with one of his favourite artists, the multitalented Dieter Meier, with who build a fruitful friendship. A brief post in the Charif’s litblog about their initial meetings, can be read (in Spanish), clicking here. An another post about it from April can be read (this time in English), clicking here.
Heuchlerischer Vogel (Hypocritical Bird, by Dieter Meier, 2013) and Self Portrait (by Charif, 2011)
Drunk (by Charif, 2011) and World Champion Confetti eaten ‘I can’t take it no more!’ (by Dieter Meier, 2013)
Plans with the young Chinese director Nan Guo (郭楠) a short film in collaboration, which still remains as a project. On March starts a series of literary collages made originally in Chinese.
動物行為學
literary collage by Gustavo Charif (沙里夫·古斯塔沃)
From May 8 to June 8, Charif takes part of The Selfie Show in the MONA (Museum of New Art, Detroit, USA) in a big selection with international artists Gao Brothers (Beijing), Rahman Hak-Hagir (Vienna), Vita Au (Hong Kong), June Korea (New York), among others.
About the work presented in the exhibition, Charif said:
“To me is interesting using the tools (camera, brush, scissors, paint or whatever) in an inadvisable way, to find an unexpected result. If I read, in the operating manual, “don’t move the phone in that way when use the panoramic mode”… well, I think is a good idea move the phone precisely in that “banned” way. I never used a “smart”-phone in my whole life, thus, was a good tool for take a self-portrait in unexpected way (even to me). I borrowed the phone to a friend, and I used the panoramic mode in the inadvisable way, for reach an unexpected result.”
I want see me / 我要见我 / Quiero verme (September 25, 2014)
work made especially for The Selfie Show (MONA 2015)
On July, in Asia is released a beautiful compilation with Taiwan’s independent pop/rock music. The double album includes the piece White Peacock by the multi-talented Taiwanese-American artist Crystal Lupa, meanwhile Gustavo Charif is making the music video for her track.
El Paso (2015, original poem by Charif)
Meanwhile, he starts series of experimental images based in his own music, and called GesamtKunstWerk (Sound and Vision). Five songs performed and composed by Charif, playing all the instruments, and the other five composed and recorded in collaboration with Dr. Matías Rizzone.
“Due my expressions appear from Nowhere -but sometimes they appear too slowly and Nowhere it’s a land constantly changing with time-, I’m translating to our visual reality my music from different times. And, because these images are based in sounds from different times, the logical process is based on use, as raw material, of photographs of some paintings and collages that I made in different ages.” -Gustavo Charif, GesamtKunstWerk (Sound and Vision), 2015.-
GesamtKunstWerk (Sound and Vision) selection (please, click on thumbnails to enlarge)
The year ends with a series of quotations from writers, philosophers, scientists or just famous people that Charif change. “The procedure is simple: take randomly any sentence from Internet or books, especially sentences that seems full of wisdom, and change it into the first paraphrase that comes to your mind”. For example: “An eye for an eye… ends in making everybody blind” (Mahatma Gandhi) is changed by “An arm for an arm… ends in making everybody sausages”. The collection will be in a book titled To Prove Nothing -One Thousand Thoughts to Throw Away Before You Die-. You can read a first post about this project in the Charif’s litblog clicking here.
From To Prove Nothing -One Thousand Thoughts to Throw Away Before You Die- (2015-2020)
Charif · 沙里夫 · 