He once sold a set of twigs for £62 on eBay. Now “conceptual prankster” Babak Ganjei is trying his hand at selling his creations at Hackney’s Atom Gallery.
Ganjei will exhibit his work in a solo exhibition entitled: ‘Everything is really bad and it’s only going to get worse and now is the most perfect time’. The title is part of the statement of the collection: Ganjei’s stance against the modern art scene. In a recent interview with Culture Trip, he said: “I’ve always thought of cities as the places the freaks and weirdos are meant to congregate, and I don’t like it when artists are being priced out.
I’ve always felt part of the challenge of an artist is to survive in the city. It means you have to keep creative and find ways of making something from nothing”.
This exhibition will be of Ganjei’s recent text-based prints, in addition to new limited edition screen prints printed and published by Atom. The collection, which launched on 1 March, aims to reflect the world we live in and will run until the 23rd.
After selling sticks on eBay, the artist tried to flog a painting of his credit card back to Barclays for the value of his debt. He has also created blackout poetry – poetry made up of phrases scattered across a page – using books written by Jeremy Clarkson, Nigel Farage and Donald Trump. For his most recent business venture, he drew tongue-in-cheek Valentine’s Day cards to sell at an art market in London.
Ganjei was born in Essex but grew up in London, before his family moved to Bournemouth when he was a teenager. The artist moved back to London age 18 to study Fine Art at Central St Martins.
He said: “Though I was born in England, my parents are both Iranian. Even though I don’t speak the language very well anymore, there is a specific sense of humour and delivery that’s unique to Iranians, which I think comes through.”
Alongside his career as an artist, he plays in bands Absentee and Wet Paint, as well as writing comic books including Hilarious Consequences, Early Learnings and Twit. He also hosts a regular radio show “Hot Mess” on NTS radio.
Last year a selection of the 180 and counting “Film Ideas” that Ganjei pitched via Instagram were printed in a zine by Rough Trade Books.
