Bloom and Grow forever

Born to a Swiss/Syrian/Lebanese mother and a Saudi/Palestinian father, Tania Al Farouki is a Geneva-based pluridisciplinary self-taught artist with a background in publishing, creative direction and visual arts writing. Growing up with a grandmother and mother who instilled in her a great appreciation of beauty and the fine arts, she holds a Bachelor of Arts in Magazine Publishing from University of the Arts London’s London College of Communication and a Master of Arts in Journalism from New York University.

Al Farouki’s initial inspiration comes from three main sources: Abstract artists such as de Kooning, Pollock and Mitchell, by way of John M. Armleder and Cecily Brown; Alpine and folk culture stemming from Switzerland, Bavaria and Tyrol; and the golden age of Versailles, especially with regards to Marie-Antoinette. She credits her New York years for her newfound appreciation of her Swiss homeland.

Up until recently, Al Farouki created under an artist pseudonym, that of Alranz Helvète. Condensing the essence of her art, the pen name referenced the artists Albert Oehlen and Franz Kline, while Helvète is the French version of “Helvetian.” Additionally, Ranz is also the name of a traditional chant sung by Swiss Alpine herdsmen.

Al Farouki first took up painting in 2018 as a personal practice. In 2020, upon her grandfather’s passing, she decided to pursue the endeavor in full and share it with a wider public. This resulted in her first personal exhibition at the Palais de l’Athénée in Geneva, Switzerland in 2021. The same year, she also set out to experiment with further mediums and techniques including digital collages, self-portraiture and acrylic on wood panels.

This exploration, eventually, led her to combine visuals with the written word, a nod to her work as a writer and creative director, and to her own personal and spiritual journey: Al Farouki’s texts span from contemporary social commentary to poetry and meditations on faith.

Her 2022 series Marie-Antoinette Goes to the Swiss Alps is, in fact, a synthesis of this: self-portraits accompany snippets of poetry and reflections, Alpine motifs are combined with references to rococo and Versailles; abstract and figurative elements coexist and play off each other. It’s a visual meditation on female identity, a celebration of the beauty in modesty, the power of self-belief, and the personal evolution of the artist herself as she weaves all the threads of her life together.

In 2022, Al Farouki also performed the Hajj (pilgrimage). As a consequence, her most recent work explores more universal themes, such as her personal relationship to Allah (SWT), liberation, enlightenment and her connection to her Middle Eastern roots.

Al Farouki will be incorporating new tools into her practice, and will use other mediums, including sculpture, video and performance art. She is also looking to develop conceptual ideologies, thus further exploring both traditional and non-traditional mediums. Thematically, Al Farouki is currently delving into the intersection of nature, the climate crisis and contemporary social commentary with faith being a focal point. Some pieces will continue her lifelong exploration of beauty, a personal interpretation of the maxim “art for art’s sake,” which complement—rather than contradict—her more metaphysical reflections.