CHARIF
沙里夫·古斯塔沃
MILESTONES
Gustavo Charif (沙里夫•古斯塔沃) is a Stateless writer, visual artist and filmmaker, who born in America (Buenos Aires, Argentina), lived in Europe and lives in Asia.
His artworks were shown since 1986, and took part in international exhibitions side by side with Alechinsky, Botero, Dalí, Magritte, Miotte, Picasso, Saura, Bram van Velde and Topor among others.
In 1989 was named Special Guest at the First Art Biennial of Young Art for his body of work as experimental filmmaker (Recoleta Cultural Centre, Buenos Aires), and, in 1997, The Museum of Modern Art of Buenos Aires organised his first short film retrospective.
1991-1993: Charif writes a script with the legendary Argentinian artist Luis Felipe Noé. The project is ongoing for a feature film.
From 1999 until today, he develops a parallel life as musician, working hidden under several secret names in different projects.
In 2002 Fernando Arrabal and Milan Kundera invite him to illustrate the first artist’s book that brings them together. The book (a limited edition of 33 copies) is exhibited for the first time in 2004 at the Charif's solo exhibition Alexandria (Centro Cultural Borges). You can see part of the book here.
In 2003, he canonised Luce Moreau Arrabal at the front door of the Notre-Dame of Paris, giving her the title of Saint Lis in the presence of the Collège de ‘Pataphysique and two thousand people.
In 2010, his first feature length film, The Reason (IMDb data sheet here), has an unreleased song by Moby, who generously granted the rights for the film.
In 2012 he represented Argentina in Art Expo Malaysia, with a one man show, in Argentina Embassy booth.
In 2013, the Embassy of the State of Qatar in Kuala Lumpur requested him to create an artwork that portrays his personal vision of Qatar. The work is exhibited on 16th May at the "Peace & Security Forum", in the Ritz Carlton.
In the next years his works are exhibited in international fairs like Art Osaka (Japan, 2013), CUTLOG Paris (France, 2013), CUTLOG New York (USA, 2014) and others.
In 2015 takes part of "The Selfie Show" in the MONA (Museum of New Art, Detroit, USA) in a big selection with international artists Gao Brothers (Beijing) and Rahman Hak-Hagir (Vienna), among others.
In 2016 presents in Taipei (Taiwan) his big solo installation 樗—自然裡的美術館 (Ailanthus, or The Living Museum of Art by Nature), invited by the 關渡國際自然藝術季 (Guandu International Nature Art Festival).
2017: USA premiere of Are They Cannibals? (click here to see), the music video he made for the abstract metal band DIMESLAND (click here to buy the album).
November, 2017: the Museo de la Palabra (Museum of the Words, Toledo, Spain) gave him the title of Ambassador of the Word, title with which the museum honours "writers whose works promote peace and concord between different cultures".
In 2018 a work by Charif became part of the heritage of the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes (National Museum of Fine Arts) of Argentina. The Museum's heritage includes works of Rembrandt, Rubens, Goya, Manet, Monet, van Gogh, Modigliani, Fontana, de Chirico, Bouguereau, Courbet, Degas, Gauguin, El Greco, Kandinsky, Pollock, Rothko, Zurbarán and Tiépolo, among others.
Charif's works are found also in collections of Europe, Asia and America (Einaudi, Pescheux, Zakaria, Tan-Yeoh, Fortabat Art Collection, Elía-Robirosa Foundation, Stradella Bianchi and Christina Burrus among others).
June, 2018: First edition of Narraciones simples (Simple Narratives), a book with 33 stories in Spanish which includes 33 images made with the analogical technique (a procedure of his own invention). Click here to see or buy the book via Amazon.
2018/2019: Worldwide release of two music videos for Chris Connelly, Ophelia Moment (demo and album versions).
Currently Charif is working in a book with the Hong Kong's artist Afa Annfa (a.k.a. Afa Lee), in his next feature film (Something Else, IMDb data sheet here) and in a project commissioned by the Swiss artist Dieter Meier.
In July 2020 is released The Year of Living Locked Up, presented as “the first tubefilm in history”. Feel free to see it here.
INSTAGRAM (daily life and extra stuff) click here to see, follow and give likes
YOUTUBE click here to see and follow
LITERARY BLOG (texts mostly in Spanish, but also in Chinese, English, German and other languages) click here to read and follow
OFFICIAL SITE click here to see (thousands of works, detailed bio, chronology, and more)
FACEBOOK (fan page) click here to see, follow and give likes
WARNING: Charif will not give interviews nevermore. Click here to see a selection of the international press
