1.
It wasn't my plan to disappear for a month.
In fact, my plan entailed the exact opposite: fully chronicling the tour with Ramy Essam (which ended up being more of an eye opening experience than I ever could have imagined), followed by the detailed chronicling of getting the newly acquired house (and studio) in order. The latter is something I thought wouldn't need more than two weeks at most.
I've been back in Houston since January 27th, and I shit you not all I've been doing since has been attempting to get the newly acquired house (and studio) in order, and I am still so not there yet.
One more week, I think. One more week and then everything should at least be in just about enough order that I can maintain a level of equilibrium that would allow for getting actual work done and back into a steady stream of online updates (not to mention reading, exercise, socializing, and y'know... life).
[āļø Excerpted from a post on Ganzeer.Today]
Needless to say, my newslettering is rusty. As is every other skill I may have once mustered, except for the wizardry required to assemble furniture and drill holes in walls. Yes, those are thing I have become most apt at. As well as the skill of returning Amazon packages filled with stuff you discover will not do the trick only after ordering them (I shit you not, three different door-stoppers have failed me, three! Door-stoppers!).
ā ļø Noticing a few new sign-ups, so I believe a short introduction is in order: Hi, my name is Ganzeer, currently based in Houston, TX where I make art and stuff. I also write sometimes and I do design-related work as well. In recent months, it would seem that Iāve also become somewhat of a performer. I also complain about the inconvenience of relocating, which tends to occur once every two years or less. š
2.
I encourage readers to read WE ARE ALL THINGS for the rich interplay of text and illustration, which comes to life in a space where at first, there are no words.
āBurgi Zenhaeusern, THE POETRY CAFE
Our intimate little chapbook (thatās Elliott Colla and I) is already getting quite a bit of attention. Crabapple was cool enough to write the intro and even agree to join us for a discussion around it. This will take place at Printed Matter in NYC on March 26 (6-8pm). If based in New York or you plan on passing through, mark your calendars please, and note the address (231 11th Avenue, New York, NY 10001).
The booklet officially becomes available on February 25th, but is available for pre-order right now directly from Radix Media (which would be a good way to ensure you get it, given that Radix is an ultra small press and all).
3.
I may be rusty at all things not house work, but I managed to write an op-ed! And do a couple illustrations for it, even. Hereās one:
The article, for Middle East Eye, starts off like this:
When I am told that the Egyptian people are no longer interested in revolution, I like to share a memory of something that took place nine years ago, on 11 February.Ā
The roads around former President Hosni Mubarakās presidential palace were surrounded by us, the people. Thatās the romantic view; in reality, "the people"Ā were very much divided between the anti-Mubarak and pro-Mubarak camps, with the latter constituting a definite majority.Ā
And then somewhere in the middle gets into this:
A clever administration - one that truly cared for the future of its population - wouldnāt curb freedom of expression and make enemies of its own people. It would make space for people to voice their grievances, and use those grievances as a guide for proper governance. But this is something neither Sisi nor the military establishment backing him care for.
This should come as no surprise to anyone. But what may surprise some people - particularly those oblivious to the colonial horrors of imperialism and their relation to postcolonial practices - is the more-than-amicable relationship between Sisi and other supposedly democratic governments.
And towards the end, moves into this:
So far, weāve painted an awfully bleak picture. Weāve established that most people have few principles, that the Egyptian military does not care for the Egyptian people, that Sisi is the worst leader the country has seen in modern history, that he may continue to wreak havoc until 2034, and that ādemocratically electedā governments worldwide donāt really care and are willing to continue conducting business with him.Ā
But if you read between the lines, youāll see that hope and the potential for justice to prevail is embedded in the sequence of events that led to where we are right now.
Potentially interesting read for the politically and/or socially inclined (which is a thing I tend to fall in and out of myself).
4.
Spring is already starting to look hella busy:
March 24-28: New York, NY - Primarily for the Printed Matter event on March 26, but also to figure out moving paintings out of storage and shipping them to Houston (gotta cut down on them storage costs).
March 31-Apr 2: Columbus, OH - To speak at Ohio State University as part of their Global Comics Lecture Series).
April 13-16: Walla Walla, WA - To speak at Whitman College and do a few class visits).
And the week between Columbus and Walla Walla, I have Ramy coming to crash at mine in Houston. To hang, but also to find time to collab on a thing or two (always mix business and pleasure, always ĀÆ\_(ć)_/ĀÆ ).
Which means the only chance Iāll have to work on my own stuff (i.e. THE SOLAR GRID and/or TIMES NEW HUMAN) between now late April isā¦ pretty much just the first 3 weeks of March. This week, Iāma need to get a few more house/organizational things done and deliver on a couple commitments/favors.
Three weeksā¦ is not a whole lot of time.
Fml.
Ganzeer
February 22, 2020
Houston, TX