* All images used with permission. Please do not distribute without first contacting the artist.
Kareem Rizk is a Melbourne based Australian artist who graduated from Monash University in 2004 with a Bachelor in Graphic Design. This course encouraged a rich influence of mixed media techniques which has always been evident in his work. Rizk”s initial ambition was to forge a career as a Graphic Designer. However it was a short time after the completion of the university course that a more prominent interest in fine art became the focus of his endeavours.
Rizk started making collages in 2005 but it wasn”t until 2006 that an emphasis on promoting new work began. After only a few weeks of promoting the work Rizk was offered several opportunities for printed publication and exposure in Australia and the UK. Shortly after this came offers to exhibit his work in galleries.
Working mediums include collage, acrylic, oil pastel, pencil, solvent transfers and acrylic transfers. The work is highly textured and often multi-layered with a nostalgic and weathered quality. Many works are vibrant with colour, while others display a very refined or minimal palette. Rizk’s working methods also extend to digital collage with a very gritty and realistic display of texture and layering. The digital work is very much an experimentation in blurring the line between handmade work and digital work.
