Ibrahim Azab: EV3Ry(TH1NG'5)MOV1NG:BUT_I'M(STILL)H3RE. (signed)

‘Is that the paper, or the image?’ Ibrahim Azab's question resonates as he flips through the pages of his book, EV3RY(TH1NG’5) MOV1NG: BUT_I’M(STILL)H3RE. This publication, the third in Folium’s Iteration series, furthers a line of experimental research into the intricate interplay between paper as subject, object, and image. This continuous shift in perception is at the core of Azab’s artistic practice.  His creative process is deeply rooted in coding and remixing, much like a jazz musician composing a unique melody. He crafts his own visual and written codes, combining them into a new hybrid language.

In this book, paper isn't merely a canvas; it's an integral part of a wider underlying narrative. It morphs seamlessly between being a tangible object and a printed image, blurring the boundary between digital and analogue worlds. This is further emphasised through the layout of the book. Much like music, where the pauses and silence are as essential as the notes themselves, the spaces on the paper hold significance in Azab’s work. These spaces, sometimes voids, are woven into the narrative, for Azab it’s a visual rhythm where editing and composition are akin to jungle, breakbeat and jazz music. 

EV3RY(TH1NG’5) MOV1NG: BUT_I’M(STILL)H3RE is a circle closing and opening simultaneously. Ibrahim, the remixer, the sampler, takes fragments from his past, reorders them, and presents a newly coded work. Working collaboratively with Folium, this project sees him reinterpreting FOPDTMM, a work from 2019. This Iteration offers him a chance to revisit a past self through the lens of a more serene and experienced present. This revisitation is more than just a change in tempo; it's a deliberate act within his artistic practice, a statement of intent: I’m still here, standing strong.

‘It’s about seeing without being seen’ he says after another moment of introspective silence. His work, both sonic and visual, is a sophisticated camouflage. It’s a tool for hiding in plain sight to infiltrate the mainstream and subvert it from within.

(Rodrigo Orrantia)

Title: EV3Ry(TH1NG'5)MOV1NG:BUT_I'M(STILL)H3RE.
Publisher: Folium, 2022
Photographer: Ibraham Azab
Format: Softcover, section sewn, screen printed cover plus book wrap/poster
Size: 19.8 x 12.9 cm, 128 pages
Edition: 150