Art in pizza boxes: local talents turn food cardboards into canvases

AMMAN — Foodies and art lovers alike this weekend feasted on an unusual display of pizza boxes turned into works of art at F.A.D.A 317 in Jabal Amman.

Some 40 pizza boxes covered the walls of the atypical creative space, offering the visitors a taste of the young local art scene.

“When my family used to come see me at the space, we would have pizza altogether. One day, we started drawing on the boxes and I realised they looked exactly like canvases when you open them up,” said Mike V. Derderian, the founder of the place, who is also a noted Jordanian cartoonist.

“There are so many young talents in Jordan, so many inspiring artists but there is no faith in them among society,” Derderian, also known as Sardine, told The Jordan Times at the launch of the exhibition.

After giving 40 artists pizza boxes of various sizes, he waited for the result, dreading the reaction of the young talents. “I wasn’t sure if they were going to take me seriously but, when I saw their output, I was stunned. The pieces are incredible,” he said.

The collection of artworks covering the walls indeed gives an original feel, with shapes and forms varying from 2D to 3D models, some including electricity lighting, while others give the illusion to be painted on the traditional woven canvas.

“In Jordan, we don’t have that many chances to create unconventional artwork, we kind of have to ‘keep it down’ for the galleries which tend to focus on fine art only,” said Mary Abu Zaid, a 29-year-old artist exhibited at the event. 

“Because my subject of interest is nudes, which can be seen as provocative, it is hard to find a public that will be receptive to my art. But here, because it is such a cool, open minded place, I knew the visitors would be OK with it and that I was free to do whatever I wanted,” she added.

Her oil painting hangs right below Tala Abdul Hadi’s couple of boxes which depict two people’s daily life in an Amman house.

“I was inspired by my city and the people living around me,” the 24 year-old recalled, adding “when you look around the capital, you see all these bars on the houses’ windows, which gives a very specific look to the city.”

“Even though all the houses kind of look the same, you can see an attempt to individuality with the way people choose to design their windows,” she noted, explaining the reason behind her choice for the art piece she created.

Like Mary and Tala, all the artists exhibited are rather young, most of them aged below 25 years old. “When I was young, nobody helped me and it was really hard to make it as an illustrator. With F.A.D.A 317, I wanted to give those young people the support and the chance that I never had,” Derderian explained, noting that “society tends to look down on illustrators, cartoonists and comics artists, saying that ‘what we do is not art’ but, when you look around today, I think it is pretty clear that the room is bursting out with artistic talent.”

The exhibition, which was launched this Friday and Saturday, will run through mid-January.

Artists exhibited at the event include Dina Fawakhiri, Sama Sahouri, Hanan Khalil, Hind Al far, Karam Hamadneh, Ahmad Barqawi, Sara Allan, Samer Kurdi, Maya Assad, Ameer Ispaih, Ahmad Rayyan, Seddeq Abu Ghoush, Haya Halaw, Suha Sultan, Landstreicher, Suha Younis & Dana Al Basha , Joanna A. Arida, Madaline Marrar, Grace Haddadin, Dina Haddadin, Hamza Talal Mahfouz, Alia Tabbara, Sarah Raji, Hosam Omran, Amanee Hasan, Teejan Sabbah, Raya Suheil Baqaeen, Nader Hammouqah, Lutfi Zayed, Tariq Rawajfeh, Saja Emad, Miramar Moh’d, Karen Saleh, Ehab “Shyroland” Hamad, Samar Elasmar, Majdoleen Almufatesh, Mary Abu Zaid, Tala Abdul Hadi and Sardine.