Sharif Farrag
Rat Race, 2024
Sculpture modified RC cars
Races will take place on the central soccer fields Thursday, February 29 and Sunday, March 3, please sign-up to participate. Spectators are welcome to join without an RSVP.
Schedule:
Thursday February 29, 2024
Gates Open: 2:30 pm
Race #1 A & B Tracks: 3:00 - 3:30 pm
Race #2 A & B Tracks: 3:30 - 4:00 pm
Sunday, March 3, 2024
Gates Open: 11:30 am
Race #1 A & B Tracks: 12:00 - 12:30 pm
Race #2 A & B Tracks: 12:30 - 1:00 pm
Race #3 A & B Tracks: 1:30 - 2:00 pm
Race #4 A & B Tracks: 2:30 - 3:00 pm
As an Angeleno, Farrag perceives the relationship between himself and his car as more than a mere tool for transportation. The car is akin to a secondary home, a reliable friend, and a means of survival. While working in food delivery, Farrag spent extensive hours in his car, considering it an extension of his soul. In this project, he aims to transform R/C cars into embodiments of the human experience, envisioning them as a post-human representation that reflects our societal shift toward unity with technology.
Beyond the modification of R/C cars in imaginative forms, Farrag will organize races to take place on the central sports fields during Frieze. These races serve as an allegory for the "Rat Race" of competition and capitalism, symbolizing the relentless cycle of survival, work, and money that many endure. Drawing inspiration from the 2001 movie "Rat Race," Farrag introduces humor and creativity as a lighthearted approach to alleviate the stress associated with competition.
Born in Reseda, California, 1993, based in Los Angeles, Sharif Farrag merges classic ceramics styles with his own improvisational building techniques, representing his hybrid identities through clay. The artist’s work reflected his distilled Syrian-Egyptian heritage, lived experiences, passions, and desires.