Interview

Dec 12

Ahmed Abdel Raouf (Phero)

Ahmed, or Phero as he prefers to be called in the artistic world, was born in Cairo, Egypt in the late '80s, and moved to Toronto, Canada in the '90s.

He is a true definition of a 3rd culture kid, exploring a unique balance of the arts, culture and lifestyle of both his ancestral origins and present surroundings. He feels he has lived many lives at once; a multi-dimensional human, if you will.

Ahmed combines digital and traditional media in ways that are exuberant and vibrant, inviting the viewer to feel as strongly as he does when he sees his passions come to life.

In 2014, he wrote, co-produced, and drew the artwork for a musical comic book called Superhero Life, under the alias Super Phero. You can stream it on Spotify and Apple Music.

What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?

“My love for drawing and comics started at a very young age after watching Tim Burton’s Batman. I remember drawing Batman and Robin for hours, which inspired me a lot in many different ways on my journey. Drawing was, and still is, my preferred form of creative expression. It grounds me and helps me move through life.
Though visual arts is my first love, I also love music and poetry as other mediums of self expression. I am a synesthete, meaning I can see music and feel the colors of a song or a melody. The harmony between these two inspires the colors and palettes in my pieces.
Another foundational aspect of my journey is sports. While I was better at some sports than others, I loved the competitive adrenaline that was associated with it. It taught me discipline and resilience. I found immense inspiration from some of the great sportspeople, and tried to emulate them on and off the field. Today, in my art, I pay homage by immortalizing them through portraits.”

What inspires you most?

“I draw inspiration from everything in my surroundings: mostly nature, but also music, movies, comics, anime, and design, to name a few. Everything is inspiration!”

What themes do you pursue? Is there an underlying message in your work?

“It’s simple: that life is way more beautiful with color.”

“The colors in my works are the moods I feel based on the songs I hear.
I combine the energy and feelings I absorb from music, and then put them into something everyone can see.”

How would you describe your work?

“The best way to describe myself is: I’m a pop artist.
The longer answer is that I am a creative, and I love expressing myself through different mediums. Growing up I thought I had to be one thing or focus on one medium in order to call myself an artist. It was a struggle to accept my many talents and stay in creative flow. I did a lot of soul searching and came to the conclusion that I just needed to change the narrative on how I see myself and my blessings. I now love that about myself. I am an artist. I am a heartist <3.
My own style has evolved many times throughout the years. So without further ado, I am officially declaring to the universe, I am an artist. I am a digital artist. I am so present to the feeling as I type this. If you are still reading, thank you for sharing this moment with me.”

Which artists influence you most?

“I could definitely fill a book with all the artists and designers that I draw inspiration from, all from many different industries. However, Andy Warhol is probably the artist I draw from the most. He was an amazing pop artist and graphic designer.”

What is your creative process like?

“I start by picking a subject or character. Then I doodle around until I find the tone or combination of color and shape I’m looking for.”

What is an artist’s role in society and how do you see that evolving?

“Artists are all storytellers. They use words, music, and visuals to tell a story or express something they believe in. We, as humans, are full of color and vibrancy; kind of like the internal colors of your chakras, but expressed externally. It’s all these colors that make you unique and who you are.”