Professional Practice – Barak Ganjei Exhibition

Babak Ganjei graduated with a BA in Fine Arts from Central Saint Martins in 2001. Since then, he has been working independently as an artist, playing in bands (Absentee, Wet Paint), writing comic books (Hilarious Consequences, Early Learnings, Twit) and hosting the regular radio show “Hot Mess” on NTS radio.
In 2014 Babak sold a set of twigs from his neighbourhood on eBay for £62. He has turned books by Jeremy Clarkson, Nigel Farage and Donald Trump into works of blackout poetry and tried to sell a painting of his credit card back to Barclays for the value of the debt. It didn’t work, but he made a “friend”.
His “Everything is really bad…” exhibition was shown at Atom in March 2019, and “Babak Ganjei’s Vibe Dump” in September. I visited the “Home is Where Your Heart is Smashed To Pieces” exhibition in February 2023 in Blackburn Prism Contemporary.

The entrance part of the venue was painted white, which gave the small space more volume. The artwork was poems that had white frames. Therefore, the overall view could have been more varied. However, the black writing attracted the attention and curiosity about the concept and the frame with the title of the show was in colour. The curator placed the picture with the coloured show’s title at the entrance too, which broke the black-and-white feeling.

The entrance part of the venue was painted white, which gave the small space more volume. The artwork was poems that had white frames. Therefore, the overall view could have been more varied. However, the black writing on white paper attracted the attention and curiosity about the concept. The frame with the title of the show was in colour. The curator placed the picture with the coloured show’s title at the entrance too, which broke the black-and-white feeling giving more contrast in the overall view.

Perhaps it was intentional to place the black-and-white written work at the entrance to persuade the audience to read and maybe understand more before seeing the next stage of the exhibition. Unfortunately, the doormat in the middle of the room appeared more of a hazardous obstruction, with many people in the space.

Although I have seen the artist, I, unfortunately, did not speak to him as I felt a bit intimidated by some of the writing, specifically by the bitterness in some written slogans and the descriptions. I regret that I decided not to approach Barak because I would like to know more about the concept of his work. Some of the work was quite funny and inspired by live events, which I greatly appreciate in art. However, the human conditions I associate with the artwork struck me and drew my attention to objectivity.

I could see and feel the humorous side of the display with some dose of sarcasm about life or perhaps the artist’s experiences or the human conditions.
The pink walls softened the impact of some bold comments in the artwork and could lead the audience to swap positions with the artist’s perspectives.

I thoroughly enjoyed the exhibition. The contemporary approach is what I want to include in my work. I like the combination of the lights and the pictures, and the overall feeling of the display flowed. However, I am also drawn to the last portrait of the artist himself in the room. It feels warm and reveals the artist’s (perhaps) personal space, style, and colours that match the exhibition’s colours, making him more approachable and human.