Birth, facts and some pieces of the puzzle of an unusual life, year by year to the present.

2016

I don’t know how to make a masterpiece, but I know that to learn how to paint or produce art is necessary first to learn how to see. The lines of a bark’s tree, the storm over the ocean, that design of the rainbow leaf beetle (or Chrysolina cerealis) are arguably expressions of the Universe in its subtle and spontaneous manners. In some way, it’s art from a natural talent who never was contaminated by art schools, trends or market.
I only found a museum of art in this natural space, in Guandu, and I stressing the lines using her elements (branches, leaves, stones), but also trash that I found in forests and rivers from different countries (like broken toys) because, as Zuang Zhou (莊子) teach us in that passage about the “useless” Ailanthus (樗), uselessness is useful if we found the usefulness.
This project is strongly linked to my own life, in which I am more and more identify with the useless tree rather than the useful “artist”.
-Gustavo Charif, Taipei, October 2016.-

Detail of 你就是絕世佳作 (You Can Be Your Best Artwork, Gustavo Charif, Taipei, 2016)
[Photo by Lin Ya Han, a.k.a. Nemo Lin]

Begins the year working in finishing of a series of micro-collages begun a few years before, but also in some others completely new. The following is a brief selection of them.

Please, click on thumbnails to enlarge

(Detail of) Portrait of Nicola Tesla Meditating About Electricity (2016)

(Detail of) La espantahombres (The Scaremen, 2013-2016)

(Detail of) La espantahombres (The Scaremen, 2013-2016)

(Detail of) Woman Sweeping the House (2016)

(Detail of) Cachito dreaming in the forest (2015-2016)

(Detail of) Cachito dreaming in the forest (2015-2016)

(Detail of) Saints moving of home (2013-2016)

(Detail of) Saints moving of home (2013-2016)

The carious tooth (2013-2016) – micro-collage, pencil and ink – 7,7 cm x 8,7 cm

The carious tooth (2013-2016), in hand as reference

Portrait of an Extraterrestrial Patriotic Hero (2016) – micro-collage -11,6 cm x 8,6 cm

Woman Who Turns Her Back to Reality (2016) – micro-collage, crayons and oil pastel – 11,2 cm x 8,4 cm – Private collection (Switzerland)

Child Imagining a Collage (2016) – micro-collage and crayons – 7,8 cm x 6,1 cm

Child Imagining a Collage (2016), in hand as reference

The son of a vampire (2012-2016) – micro-collage and inks – 5,9 cm x 21,6 cm

The Torero’s Wife (2006-2016) – micro-collage and ink – 9,4 cm x 11,8 cm

The Great Hearers (2009-2016) – micro-collage, crayons, ink and vinyl glue. – 10,4 cm x 12,9 cm – NOTE: Inspired by “Louis XVI donnant ses instructions au capitaine de vaisseau La Pérouse pour son voyage d’exploration autour du monde, 29 juin 1785”, from Nicolas-André Monsiau, 1817).

My horse thinking (2016) – micro-collage and ink – 24,1 cm x 9,0 cm

(Detail of) My horse thinking (2016)

Levitation of the Chestnut-Woman (2006-2016) – micro-collage, crayons and ink – 15,7 cm x 11,8 cm

Abstract Art: The Day Into the Night (2012-2016) – micro-collage, crayons and pencil – 4,2 cm x 14,1 cm

A Quite Creative Woman (2015-2016) – micro-collage, pencil, crayons, golden ink and oil pastel – 17,7 cm x 16,5 cm

(Detail of) A Quite Creative Woman (2015-2016)

The Whole Landscape of a Very Brief Life (2013-2016) – micro-collage, oil pastel and golden ink – 18,5 cm x 6,3 cm

A Fundamentalist of the Geometric Art (2016) – micro-collage and oil pastel – 25,1 cm x 9,6 cm

(Detail of) A Fundamentalist of the Geometric Art (2016)

Surgery of a Star (2016) – micro-collage and golden ink – 8,4 cm x 10,3 cm

Chinese and Japanese People Visiting Together a Great Charif’s Exhibition (2013-2016) – micro-collage, inks, oil pastel and crayons – 4,7 cm x 26,6 cm

The Human Fish That I Saw in Singapore (2016) – micro-collage, Chinese ink and golden ink – 12,5 cm x 13,1 cm – NOTE: Luis Felipe Noé collection

Aesthetic Conversation Between Two Foolish Militants (2016) – micro-collage, ballpoint pen and golden ink – 7,6 cm x 17,6 cm

My Blue Girl in her Metallic Heaven (2016) – micro-collage, foil (envelope of a chocolate), oil pastel, crayons and acrylic painting – 15,5 cm x 13,1 cm

Fair Exit (2016) – micro-collage, fire and oil pastel – 4,9 cm x 11,1 cm

My Oriental Education (2016) – micro-collage, oil pastel and crayons – 4 cm x 11 cm

My Chinese Girlfriend Disguised as Flying Kangaroo (2016) – micro-collage, ink and oil pastel – 10,5 cm x 2,8 cm

In this year in which Charif focused mostly on writing, starts a friendship with Scottish musician and author Chris Connelly and with Taiwanese multidisciplinary artist Lin Chi-Wei.
In August he writes 自傳 (Autobiography), a Chinese version of the micro-autobiography written in 2010, and in September makes a short experimental film using an old and cheap cell phone, walking in a Taiwan suburban street, and in a single continuous shot (without image or sound edition; with the only exception, of course, for the addition of the opening and closing titles).

From September 9 to December 31, and invited by the 關渡國際自然藝術季 (Guandu International Nature Art Festival), presents in Taipei (Taiwan) 樗—自然裡的美術館 (Ailanthus, or The Living Museum of Art by Nature), his big solo environmental installation consisting in 66 artworks arranged as an exhibition in a natural museum without walls. You can see the full work and process in detail clicking here. The following is a brief seletion of the work.

Please, click on thumbnails to enlarge

01. [Detail with handmade title.] Enter the Unknown. / 進入未知。 [Foto: Te-Wei Chao.]

01. Enter the Unknown. / 進入未知。

01. [Detail.] Enter the Unknown. / 進入未知。

08. Árbol herido. (Original title in Spanish. English title: “Wounded Tree”.) / 受傷的樹。 ※藝術家在樹上發現這根釘子，於是創作此件作品。

10. La Gioconda di Guandu. (Original title in Italian. English title: The Mona Lisa of Guandu.) / 關渡的蒙娜麗莎。

13. [Detail.] It’s Not a Heavy Rain, It’s Just an Infinite Weeping. / 這不是雨，只是無盡的哭泣。

13. [Detail.] It’s Not a Heavy Rain, It’s Just an Infinite Weeping. / 這不是雨，只是無盡的哭泣。

14. Natural Vampire. / 大自然的吸血鬼。 [Detail of handmade title.]

14. Natural Vampire. / 大自然的吸血鬼。

15. [Detail of the handmade title.] Portrait of a Very Hairy Man. / 一個多毛男人的肖像。 [Photo by Te-Wei Chao.]

15. Portrait of a Very Hairy Man. / 一個多毛男人的肖像。

20. Taipei Boogie Woogie. / 臺北市布基烏基。

20. Taipei Boogie Woogie. / 臺北市布基烏基。

22. 自傳。 (English title: Autobiography.)

25. [Detail of handmade title.] You Can Be Your Best Artwork. / 你就是絕世佳作。 [Photo by Lin Ya Han, a.k.a. Nemo Lin.]

25. You Can Be Your Best Artwork. / 你就是絕世佳作。 [Photo: Charif protrayed by the assistant Pei-Pei Dai before the work.]

25. You Can Be Your Best Artwork. / 你就是絕世佳作。 [Photo: the assistant Pei-Pei Dai protrayed by Charif before the work.]

26. Winner of Nothing. / 全盤皆輸。

26. [Detail.] Winner of Nothing. / 全盤皆輸。 [Photo by 康錫頂 (Kelvin Kang)]

26. [Details.] Winner of Nothing. / 全盤皆輸。

26. [Details.] Winner of Nothing. / 全盤皆輸。

28. [Detail.] Poetry From the Forest. / 森林之詩。

28. [Detail.] Poetry From the Forest. / 森林之詩。

28. Poetry From the Forest. / 森林之詩。 [Photo by 康錫頂 (Kelvin Kang)]

48. Caravan. / 露營車。

52. Maelstrom in the Stones River. / 石頭河中的渦流。 [Photos by 莊雅惠 (Naffy).]

61. Natural. / 自然的。

66. Exit Music. / 終曲。

Day one. Ready to work.

First days. Talking with photographer Kelvin Kang (康錫頂), sketch of the day’s plan according each artist and a Charif’s friend captured by the lens of Yenzi in the pocket of the artist. [Photos by Yen-ju Lai and Yenzi.]

First ideas in the Charif’s sketchbook. [Photo by Yenzi.]

With assistant Pei-Pei Dai. [Photo by 康錫頂 (Kelvin Kang)]

Modeling clay. Working in 全盤皆輸 (“Winner of Nothing”). [Photo by 康錫頂 (Kelvin Kang).]

Installing 金鳥 (“Golden Bird”) and talking with photographer visitor. [Photo by 康錫頂 (Kelvin Kang).]

Opening day.

Explaining to Taiwanese families and children how to make art by themselves. Talk during the opening day. [Video capture.]

Catalogue-book.

Page from the catalogue-book.

Gustavo Charif (standing, at the centre), the team of Guandu Park, and the other artists selected by the festival: Elena Redaelli (Italy), Lilli Tölp (Estonia), Matt Chun (Australia) and Chi-Hao Pai (Taiwan). [Photo from the catalogue-book.]

2016-2017

Maman Fine Art turns 15 years and celebrates it with an anthological exhibition, from November 22, 2016 to March 20, 2017. Works of Benito Quinquela Martín (1890-1977), Emilio Pettoruti (1892-1971), Alicia Penalba (1913-1982), Enio Iommi (1926-2013), Marcelo Bonevardi (1929-1994), Alberto Greco (1931-1965), Rómulo Macció (1931-2016), Nicolás García Uriburu (1937-2016), Norberto Gómez (1941), Gustavo Charif (1966), and others.

Two large artworks by Charif at the sidewall of Maman Fine Art gallery during the exhibition

2017

Begins a correspondence with Japanese musician Damo Suzuki.
In June 13 is released in USA Are They Cannibals?, the music video for the abstract metal band DIMESLAND. In case you want to buy the full album, please click here.

On July reappears for a while in Buenos Aires, Argentina, as curator of the solo exhibition of the young painter Nicolás Romano in Zamora gallery. The exhibition includes a canvas painting in collaboration bewteen both artists, and Charif writes a conceptual text for the exhibition, which is distributed among the visitors rather than a catalogue. To read the original text in Spanish please click here.

The whole year keeps active the litblog (gustavocharif.tumblr.com) and publishing there some poems for Puns and Poses, a new book in progress. Please, click in the following titles  in case you want to read some of them: A Little Poem with Your Name, Negative, Suicide Has No Music, No Idea, but the Common Sense, Voice. At the same time, creates a series of digital collages set on engravings, to illustrate the poems. Here one of them (with details).

Please, click on thumbnails to enlarge

“Stepping into the Glade” (2017)

Detail of “Stepping into the Glade” (2017)

Detail of “Stepping into the Glade” (2017)

Detail of “Stepping into the Glade” (2017)

Detail of “Stepping into the Glade” (2017)

Detail of “Stepping into the Glade” (2017)

From more than fifteen years, ever since Kirchnerists (the “new” Peronists) defines their movement as “national and popular”, Charif is defined, regarding Argentine politic, as “international and unpopular”.
This year, dissenting more than ever with the options in the recent Argentine elections, the PIEI (Partido Internacional E Impopular, or international and unpopular party) is born and it’s launched through social networks. Charif offered flyers and ballots via Internet, and whoever wishes is free to print their own ballot to vote.
Caution: of course, it’s not really a political party but an art action.

Please, click on thumbnails to enlarge

PIEI (I): pamphlers and ballots available on-line (2017)

PIEI (I): pamphlers and ballots available on-line (2017)

PIEI (II) In 2018 the situation has not been changing at all, so now the PIEI release a series of interventions on old magazines pages (mostly Japanese magazines)

PIEI (II) In 2018 the situation has not been changing at all, so now the PIEI release a series of interventions on old magazines pages (mostly Japanese magazines)

PIEI (III): Conceptos políticos sintetizados (English title: Political concepts synthetized)

PIEI (III): Conceptos políticos sintetizados (English title: Political concepts synthetized)

On October develops a new language with a secret code (called “embryonic alphabet”) invented to compose a new book: the KripTotemBuch.

KripTotemBuch Gramartu (2017)

Ending the year, the Museo de la Palabra (Museum of the Words, Toledo, Spain) grants him the title of Embajador de la Palabra (Ambassador of the Word), title with which the museum honours “writers whose works promote peace and concord between different cultures”. His first action as ambassador consisted in ask to 22 artists, very different each other, a quotation from their own culture to share with the world. The action-document is completed on next year and sent to the museum with the title XXIII. The artists collaborating with a quotation are (in alphabetical order): Afa Annfa (Hong Kong), Catrine Val (Germany), Chris Connelly (Scotland), Claudio Caldini (Argentina), Elena Redaelli (Italy), Lars Teichmann (Germany), Lili Wilde (Portugal/UK), Liu Bolin (China), Lui Itzel (Mexico), Marianna Ignataki (Greece), Mei Melançon (Philipines), Molly Harvey (Unites States), Nolan Cook (Unites States), Paul Barnes (Scotland), Raúl Herrero (Spain), Ray Caesar (England), Saffie Ng (Australia/China), Yasuaki Shimizu (Japan), Yeom Ji-hee (South Korea), Yohanna Idha (Sweden) and Zhangxu Zhan (Taiwan). To read the document, please, click here.

In the last day of the year, Charif edits a new visual virus, Enlightenment, that will be online on January 1th 2018. Same day in which he’ll write a new poem titled Once and for Ever.