Johannesburg, South Africa
Session 3: Sept 7 – Nov 8, 2008

Ismail Farouk is an urban geographer and artist working in Johannesburg, South Africa. Mr. Farouk holds a Master’s degree in geography from the University of the Witwatersrand. His work explores and initiates creative responses to racial, social, political and economic injustice. Using a variety of media and tactics, ranging from public performances to web-based mapping applications, Farouk aims to empower and mobilize citizens in the struggle for social and spatial justice. Since his UFI Fellowship, Ismail Farouk has begun a doctoral program at the University of Cape Town, where he is also a lecturer in Urban Culture.

MAK Day Walkthrough of UFI Fellow Ismail Farouk’s exhibition, “Cancelled without Prejudice,” 11/5/08. Farouk at left with MAK Center Director Kimberli Meyer

During his time in Los Angeles, Ismail Farouk identified and documented patterns of spatial and social injustice in Los Angeles as it compared to Johannesburg. The culmination of his UFI work was a video and photography exhibition at the Schindler House entitled Cancelled Without Prejudice, which was shown from November 5, 2008 – January 4, 2009 as part of the MAK Center’s Locus Remix Series. For this exhibition, Farouk documented patterns of spatial injustice, explored a variety of interventions aimed at producing a more just urban landscape, and examined the contradictions of mainstream urban development in Johannesburg and Los Angeles, revealing a common narrative unfolding in both cities: the privatization of public space and the criminalization of poverty.

MAK Day Walkthrough of UFI Fellow Ismail Farouk’s exhibition, “Cancelled without Prejudice,” 11/5/08. Farouk with artwork.