Into Jebl: Graphic design inspired by Chefchaouen

 Spanish graphic designer and multimedia artist Javier Reta's digital collages are inspired from the two years he spent living in Chefchaouen, in Morocco's northern Rif region.

This series is entitled "Into Jebl" (Into the mountain).

Javier's collages draw from his "devotion to these mountain woman and their hard work," his curiosity with Arabic typography as graphic elements and his personal photography.

 

I love the juxtapositions here, the humor of everyday objects...

...as well as the way in which images of daily life, hard, burdensome, or banal, are translated into sharp graphic elements.

 An exhibit of Javier's work just opened at the Marita Segovia gallery in Madrid.

His photography is also quite stunning, veering towards the abstract.  See this series 'Blue & Orange.'

All images courtesy Javier Reta. For more of his work, visit his website or portfolio.

Istanbul Modern from MOMA

Designs inspired by Istanbul by Erdem Akan

The Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) Store still has this delightful 'Destination: Istanbul' collection of modern designs from Turkey available.


 While the cute rings  by Aida Pekin (intriguing, but a little kitsch--her other jewelry is quite mod and organic) and diminutive oiseaux on Berra Alkan's porcelain have appeal, the real standout designer is Erdem Akan.

MOMA is carrying Akan's 'East Meets West' glasses (love!) but a tour of his site reveals so many more designs in this same vein -- "typically" Turkish but definitely modern.

This tray reminds me a bit of Younes Duret's designs,
but just goes to show how popular the star pattern is worldwide...

Simple espresso cups adorned with iznik tile patterns

Dome cloches

Some of these are intended as tourist takeaways. When was the last time you saw these on display in the Grand Bazaar?

Jockey meets fez. But would Ataturk approve? 

 Can you believe these are trivets?
Presumably reflections of Turkish hipsters are not included.

Would love to grab a few of these myself. Kudos to MOMA for bringing these young designers Stateside.

Hillariously Mapping Stereotypes of the Arab Spring

From the man who brought us the 'Ultimate Bigot's Calendar of Europe', now we have the (bigoted) 'Hitchikers Guide to the Arab Spring'.

Funny, yet depressing.

As is the 'Americans' View of Africa' and on it goes...

Found via The Arabist.

2011 Jameel art prize to Algerian Rachid Koraichi

Ever seen Arabic letterpress?

Now you have...

The 2011 Jameel Prize for contemporary art drawing upon Islamic traditions has just been awarded, and this year's winner is Rachid Koraichi, an Algerian multimedia artist.

 The judges' comment:

Koraichi uses Arabic calligraphy, and symbols and ciphers from a range of other languages and cultures to explore the lives and legacies of the 14 great mystics of Islam. The work aims to show that the world of Islam, in contrast to contemporary perceptions of crisis and violence, has another side entirely, evident in the tolerant and sophisticated writings of great Muslim thinkers and poets such as Rumi and El Arabi.

All images courtesy the October Gallery, which has an extensive collection of Koraichi's work.