The Chroniclers

Ganzeer

Artist/Los Angeles

For sketching a dire environmental warning.

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Ganzeer

Ganzeer was a leading light of the Egyptian revolution, known for provocative street murals that challenged state propaganda. Now effectively in exile, he’s turned his sights on a different threat. His serialized graphic novel, The Solar Grid, portrays the world after a biblical flood. Ganzeer targets the powerful writ large for complicity in environmental destruction, including businesspeople who profit from it. Notably, he depicts a heroic whistleblower who exposes the corrupt interests that control the world’s diminishing resources. Downloadable for $1.99 per chapter—there will be nine in all—Ganzeer’s project epitomizes his hyper-democratic ethos. He told the Guardian that it captures his far-reaching ambitions, both creative and political. “The minute you define yourself as an artist,” he said, “you limit your practice.” (Photo credit: DOERTHE BOXBERG)

Ganzeer fled to the United States after a TV announcer accused him of sympathizing with terrorists.

Ganzeer means “bicycle chain” in Egyptian Arabic, which represents his conception of art’s purpose in society. He says art helps connect disparate ideas, and thus moves forward. (His real name is Mohamed Fahmy.)