A la suite de Baku & Back, documentant un aller-retour en train entre la Suisse et l'Azerbaïdjan, cet ouvrage rassemble 96 dessins réalisés par l'artiste au cours d'une traversée de la Méditerrannée en ferry jusqu'à la ville d'Alexandrie (Iskandariyah) en Irak.
« My previous picture book was about a train trip to Baku, this book documents my ferry trip accross the Mediterranean Sea to Alexandria (or Iskandariyah as it is called in Arabic). I was invited to exhibit my work and conduct a workshop organized by the artist-run Alexandria Contemporary Arts Forum (ACAF). This paperback is a selection of the many drawings that transpired on this amazing journey.
Not all my drawings are of a scene that catches my eye. Often it starts with coming across a really comfortable spot where I can sit undisturbed for some time amongst the hustle and rumble of a busy city. This, for me, can be quite meditative. Later, I scan the drawings to upload onto my website and other applications.
This time round, I also experimented with the drawings and hope to present this book as my personal development or work in progress. I wish to share the overwhelming experience of drawing the ocean and have tried to capture the simultaneous static second and fluid element of the water by flushing the drawings through a scanner and allowing them to distort as they wish to flow, much like the city, much like life itself. »
Ingo Giezendanner, juillet 2011
Ingo Giezendanner (né en 1975 à Zurich), alias GRRRR, membre du collectif Kroesos Foundation, est connu pour ses installations, ses peintures murales et ses dessins (publiés dans de nombreux magazines, livres ou utilisés dans des dessins animés). Depuis 1998, Giezendanner documente à l'encre sur papier l'environnement urbain des lieux où il a voyagé et vécu, de Zurich à New York ou la Nouvelle Orléans en passant par Le Caire, Nairobi, Karachi ou Colombo.
