French-American multi-disciplinary artist studying a BFA degree at Parsons school of Design in Fine Arts and acquiring a minor in Museum and Curatorial Studies.
Oussamah Ghandour’s Journey from Ad-Man to Painter
May 03, 2018 10:00 AM
Do you remember that episode of Mad Men when Don Draper decides to quit the ad business and follow his true calling as a painter? Ok, you’re right, that never happened on Mad Men. But it did happen in real life for ad-man Oussamah Ghandour. Born in Beirut, and educated in Toronto, Ghandour found himself at a top ad agency in the glittering city of Dubai, concocting new ways to hawk chicken, sneakers, cars. He was engaged to a beautiful woman and his life was set. He could see the path to upper management paved out in front of him. It was a good life, but it just didn’t feel like his life. So he hit the reset button.
“I felt that I fucked up the direction of my soul,” says Ghandour, reflecting on his last days in Dubai. “I was building their dream, the corporate dream, but I forgot about mine.” So he walked away from success and all of its trappings: the office (with its view of Dubai’s resplendent waterfront), the Mercedes, the luxury apartment with the swimming pool on the roof, the beautiful fiancé. He took whatever he had squirreled away, and did some traveling. Wandering along the Seine in Paris, he reflected on his life. “I couldn’t stop thinking about the art studio in college and how you could always hear piano music there because we were located near the music department.” At the urging of a friend, he decided to move to New York.
Six years later, standing in his Greenpoint art studio, which is flooded in natural light and overcome by the scent of turpentine, he can trace his path of transformation from ad-man to artist. “I was blown away by the patchwork of the city. The utopian freedom of it,” Ghandour says, recalling his early days in New York. He began sketching furiously, carrying a notebook everywhere, in the park, on the subway, in the street. His early works on canvas were charcoals. Simple yet swarming with ideas, he describes them as “minimalist sketches, segments of personalities reflecting my empathy toward people and my surroundings.” It was part of his process of letting the past go. “I needed to deconstruct myself to move forward,” he recalls. “Freedom lies in breaking the patterns of the self.” Now his ideas and his art and his life flow together like a seascape bathed in sunlight: the beach becomes the water becomes the sky.
Lately Ghandour has been painting large contemporary art pieces on canvas that incorporate an element of texture or collage. They are vibrant, dynamic works that call to you with coded messages that change from moment to moment. Ghandour has not yet settled upon an agent or a gallery to represent him, but he has several private collectors who seek out his work. He has been exhibited at galleries here and there, but he is reticent to delve too deeply into the commerce side of art at this point. “With everything I do, I want to live, to create,” he says, gesticulating wildly as if conducting an orchestra. “I don’t want to approach my art as if it were a branch of the marketing world.”
So for now, Ghandour embraces his art and eschews the art world. He counts Basquiat, Pollock, Kandinsky, and Van Gogh among his influences, but he shies away from viewing their work at museums. He gets his inspiration from New York City and its people. He paints about 10 hours a day, almost every day, focusing inward on “finding his own brush.” His journey is his chosen destination, and his advice to aspiring artists is this: “Either you feel it or you don’t. If it’s in you, pursue it.” In no way does Ghandour long for the pretty, shiny things he left behind in Dubai. He followed his bliss and found it. “My life and art are together now.”
INTERVIEW BY KAREN FRAGALA-SMITH
PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHIAKI KATO
LOCATION: THE HOME OF NATALIE SCHAFFER
related posts
INTERVIEW: Adriana Wynne French-American multidisciplinary artist
Pointillism revived: Rising artist Cairo Dwek connects the dots
Cairo Dwek left behind her life as a model in Los Angeles to pursue her aspiration of becoming a fine artist.
Christopher Russell Interview: Beneath the essence of clay
Christopher Russell spent his youth in a small town outside Boston, Massachusetts. According to his kindergarten report card, he had an “unusual talent for art”.
ALL WHITE Summer SOIRÉE Party
ALL WHITE Summer SOIRÉE Party was held on June 25, 2022 and the night started out with the beautifully dressed guests.
American Ballet Theater Summer Gala
Spring/Summer of 2022 has seen a rushing return of events, dressing up, and the social calendar.
Elizaveta Litovka ‘Flowierdy’ footwear sculptures Interview
Naïve Beauty: Flowierdy
Support people in Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s said in a tweet on February 24 that “Now, more than ever, we need concrete support.”
SHIOTA CHIHARU EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
TWELV interviewed performance and installation artist Chiharu Shiota and discussed her personal and professional life, as well as her inspiration and what plans she has for the future. The COVID-...
OLAF BREUNING Interview
OLAF BREUNING Interview is now available!
QUERIES OF A QUIRKY MIND
...
RYAN MCGINLEY EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
Standing before the images created by Ryan McGinley, one becomes entranced by the irresistible visions of freedom and joyous irreverence.
YAYOI KUSAMA INTERVIEW "AN OUTSIDER TO INFINITY"
In Yayoi Kusama’s world, everything is a polka dot — the cosmos, the earth, the world, stars, the moon, and people.
Body Beautiful Exhibit Opening November 21st
“BODY BEAUTIFUL”
A Group Show Curated by Indira Cesarine
OPENING RECEPTION: November 21, 2019
INTERVIEW: GRACIE ELLISON PORTLAND BASED ARTIST
Gracie Ellison is a self-taught Portland based artist who focuses on canvassing portraits of grumpy and solemn faced women with use of patterns, textures and colour. She was drawn towards canvas...
MAURIZIO CATTELAN INTERVIEW "MAD SCIENTIST"
MAD SCIENTIST by MIGUEL FIGUEROA
WOLFORD LEADS THE SUSTAINABLE FASHION REVOLUTION WITH DUAL CRADLE TO CRADLE CERTIFICATION
Making History With The Aurora Collection
"GREETINGS FROM SWEDEN" BY RUVAN
Ruvan Wijesooriya is a self-taught American Photographer, who began by starting a skateboard brand before moving to working with clients such as Vogue, Samsung and many in the nightlife...
ZIP III Opening March 9th
Like it or hate it, we live in a fully connected digital world these days.
INTERVIEW: FAHREN FEINGOLD CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN ART
The name of contemporary American artist Fahren Feingold has become synonymous with fluid, feminine watercolours in her...
Interview: Lisa Ann Markuson on Modernizing Haiku
The minimalism of Haiku poetry– it’s English form dictated simply by the syllabic pattern 5-7-5– allows this traditional Japanese verse to span languages, cultures and ages.
Interview: Rebecca Leveille's Solo Exhibit "The End of Love"
Certain artists have captured the zeitgeist of a particular time and place in such a powerful way that history will forever be represented through their images.
Oussamah Ghandour’s Journey from Ad-Man to Painter
Do you remember that episode of Mad Men when Don Draper decides to quit the ad business and follow his true calling as a painter?
Jörgen Axelvall's "KÄR / LEK" Photo Exhibit in Tokyo
For Jörgen Axelvall, photography is a language.
Interview: Illustrator Roby Dwi Antono on his Startling Surrealist Imagery
In a single painting, Indonesian artist Roby Dwi Antono combines a breastfeeding lamb, a kiwi bird, power ranger, crocodile, and a child.
Interview: Bettina Werner's Pioneering Use of Salt in Art
Being an artist isn’t just a matter of creating paintings or sculptures in a particular medium, it’s about making your mark on history.
"One Year of Resistance" Recalls an Unsettling Year Under President Trump
During President Trump’s inauguration week, curator Indira Cesarine hosted a group art exhibition entitled Uprise / Angry Women in response to the election.
Artist-Activist Francesca Galliani Brings Her Messages of Empowerment to Fashion
Modern day social activism can be found and utilized everywhere from social media to organized protests.
ARTIST MISHA KAHN'S ANTI-RIGHT-ANGLE EXHIBITION "MIDDEN HEAP" ON DISPLAY AT FRIEDMAN BENDA
Artist Misha Kahn lives in a world free of right angles.
Interview: Lin Dai, CEO of Hooch, the Game-changer Drinking App
Hooch is here just in time for the holidays! The Hooch app is the first-of-its-kind, subscription-based drinking app, offering customers 30 free drinks a month for just 10 dollars.
Chrome Hearts Miami Transformed into Candy Shop and Gallery for Art Basel
Chrome Hearts is celebrating Art Basel at their Miami retail space with a pop-up confectionary and café, alongside the launch of group exhibition in their second floor gallery. The...
Indira Cesarine's "Only You" Art Series Visualizes Emotions after Betrayal
New-York based artist Indira Cesarine premiered the video format of her art series “Only You” at Art Basel Miami in 2010...
Chappy's "Dress the D" Halloween Campaign Promoting Safe Sex
The new-on-the-scene dating app Chappy has gained recognition for its mission and success in producing more meaningful...
Ashley Judd & Gloria Steinem Address Human Trafficking at Apne Aap Benefit
The award-winning actress Ashley Judd, luminous in a bisque maxi-dress, was feted at a Manhattan soiree on Thursday night.
Yayoi Kusama to Open Namesake Museum in Tokyo
On your mark, get set, go! Yayoi Kusama enthusiasts will be delighted to know that tickets to the venerated Japanese artist’s namesake museum go on sale August 28.
Just Cavalli Restaurant & Club Opening in Porto Cervo
From the brand that fully embraces the bold and vibrant Dolce Vita lifestyle, now comes the ultimate nightlife experience. On July 14th, the...
The witty pop art of Alessio Franceschetto
Minimal, quirky and straight to the point, all uniquely describe the work of artist Alessio Franceschetto, a superhero of graphic art.