Raised in an artistic family, and endowed with a curious and risk-taking disposition, Ahmed Farid was interested in art since childhood. Throughout his adolescence, he discovered and explored a variety of passions besides art, which eventually led him to a professional career where he embraced, not just painting, but acting, teaching, and TV hosting, as well. Farid is now an established painter with a PhD in the Philosophy of Art from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco and has exhibited his work in art galleries in the US, UAE, France, Italy, and Egypt. eniGma was also pleased to have him participate in its Covers Reimagined event in June of 2021, with his version of our Beyoncé cover. eniGma’s Rola Khalil recently had the opportunity to chat with this versatile artist about his adventurous life journey and his multiple passions. Here is an excerpt of their conversation.
Tell us about your artistic journey and how you started to paint.
My father was an influential artist in Alexandria, and I began exploring my love for art at his studio. That’s where I grew up and learned about art. At the time, I was extremely attached to my father, who gave me the space and the facilities to explore my artistic side. He used to give me colours and paper, but never pressured me. Because I was given the freedom to discover myself, I now use my art as a means of storytelling. I try to convey my feelings through my paintings and tell a story from my journey, beliefs, and experiences.
You are also an actor. How did your passion for acting start?
My passion for acting started when I was in high school. Acting was another way, besides painting, to express my feelings. When I’m painting, I am completely in control as both the director and the creative; in film, I am part of a huge industry. I studied acting and directing at the New York Film Academy after finishing my PhD in Art. My first professional acting experience was in a film called Cairo Exit, alongside Mohamed Ramadan. From there, I went on to do a lot of television series, including Ahl Cairo (The People of Cairo), Ayza Ragel (I Need a Man), the Arabic adaptation of Ugly Betty, and Drop Dead Diva.
Which of these acting roles was your favourite?
I loved all the projects I worked on because they all contributed to my journey and helped me grow as an actor. However, Ugly Betty was an especially great opportunity for me. Since I worked on almost a hundred episodes, I was given the space to delve deeply into the character. I also loved my role in Infiltration, an international TV series, because the role was completely different from who I am physically and personality wise. The series had a very diverse cast and was filmed in different locations around Europe which made it an amazing experience that added so much to my life and career. To me, acting is not about fame or big roles; it is about discovering different areas and embracing different personalities, allowing me to discover more of my inner self while doing something I love.
Why did you go to the US after filming many projects in Egypt?
I love getting out of my comfort zone. I wanted to rediscover myself in a new environment, to meet new people, and get out of the negative environment I was in. As scary and risky as it was, it was a great experience for me, both personally and artistically. I had several solo art exhibitions in a lot of art galleries and had the honour to be the first Egyptian to present his art at the Houston Museum of Natural Science and History, where I did a Ramses painting for the exhibition of King Ramses.
In your paintings, you often include signature symbols and oversized eyes and birds. What do these represent?
In my last collections before leaving Egypt, “Journey of the Soul” and “I am the Universe”, I used light, big, expressive eyes and birds as signatures to explore the relationship between the human and the universe, as well as to discuss the spiritual world that we live in. The eye is the window to the soul, through which inner souls are revealed. Through these symbols, I try to highlight the neglected parts of society and the inner soul by shedding light on things people ignore, like their strength and freedom. For example, most of us are too preoccupied with the materialistic world and we suffocate ourselves with limitations. Birds symbolise the freedom we could have if we just shifted our thoughts to the spiritual world and away from the materialistic one. The variations of light represent different emotions, like fear and love.
What do you want to portray through your art?
I usually work on collections where all the paintings connect to portray a story. Through my work, I want to give people the chance to look at themselves and to reflect deeply on their inner selves. I hope the stories in my paintings help people realise that they are limiting their lives and their creativity. When people delve into the spiritual side of their life and balance it with the materialistic one, they truly become at peace with their inner selves.
When you face a creative block, how do you overcome it?
Art is about input and output. You must be saturated with something in order to feel the need to let it out into the world and express it. Whenever I feel like I lack creativity, I try to enrich my experiences by trying something new in order to let the inspiration come to me. I need to have my own events and experiences that drive me to get inspired. If I keep doing the same mundane things, my thinking will never be out of the box.
What are you working on now that you are back in Egypt?
For my art gallery, I did an interactive event called PAINT IT LOUD, where I let my friends and fellow actors paint and express themselves. The aim of the event was to prove that you don’t need to be a great painter in order to paint. I wanted to break the barrier of fear that people have about painting “badly.” Everyone was expressing what they were feeling through colour and their work didn’t have to look pretty in a conventional way. I simply wanted people to use art as a language of healing. Thankfully, the event was very successful, and it is the start for something exciting.
What do you plan on doing next?
After the summer, I want to do another interactive project where I will combine theatre and fine arts in one event. I also have some acting deals in the works, but nothing is confirmed yet.
I am the type of person who doesn’t like doing the same thing over and over again. All I know is that whatever I do in the future, it will be driven by love and passion.