Artist Ibi Ibrahim is proud of his ancestral Arab roots. Born in America, the writer, filmmaker, musician and visual artist draws much of his inspiration from his surroundings, mixing it with his Yemeni heritage and creating evocative works that are filled with a sense of beautiful yearning.
Now, his work has been propelled onto the wider stage, having been handpicked by Balmain creative director Olivier Rousteing to shoot the imagery for the fashion brand's resort 2022 collection.
A major coup for any young artist, Ibrahim explains how the project came into being.
From Yemen to Paris and the US
“My work was on display at Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris as part of the exhibition Divas in 2021 and I believe that Olivier Rousteing visited the exhibition,” Ibrahim says, speaking exclusively to The National. “The museum curators shared my portfolio, [and] it was then when I learnt that Balmain’s team and Olivier himself really liked my work. In particular photographs from my earlier series Social Codes which tackles issues of gender in conservative societies. I was approached about the commission [for the resort collection], and was immediately interested. I mean, hello Balmain!”
By chance, a short time later, Ibrahim watched the Netflix documentary Wonder Boy, about Rousteing’s search for his own roots. Having been adopted at birth, the designer wanted to discover his identity, and the resulting film struck a deep chord with Ibrahim.
“I was very moved by Olivier’s struggles. The 2022 resort collection was inspired by Olivier’s identity and heritage — something I relate to quite a lot in my work. Cultural identity and heritage has a vast influence on my work and is often a driving theme behind my projects.”
The search revealed that Rousteing, while raised in France by white parents, has a Somalian mother and Ethiopian father. While born in America, Ibrahim's own identity has been shaped by his Yemeni roots.
“I was born in the US and raised between Yemen, the Emirates, Iraq and Libya. I returned to the US as a teen upon finishing my high school studies in North Africa. I also spent roughly four years living and working in Berlin, followed by living in Yemen for two years between 2018 to 2020, where I founded Romooz Foundation, a non-profit organisation dedicated to the promotion of arts and literature in Yemen.“
With both men trying to reconcile a mixed heritage, Ibrahim felt this common connection should underpin the images for the resort collection. To best capture this, he invited his friends, rather than professional models, to star in the campaign.
'My Friends in Balmain'
“Olivier Rousteing’s background was very present in the conversations between myself and my friends. His Somali and Ethiopian roots; countries rich in heritage, but often associated with unrest [and] violence.
"The friends I photographed for this series also come from conflict-associated nations. There is Maryam from Iraq, Lylla who is Syrian and Lebanese, Jenna from Palestine, and Hadi, Anisa and Mohammed who are Yemeni. Brooklyn is our home today, as it will most likely remain, but there is another home that lives within us. It is where our stories were born, and where our dreams often travel."
The result is a series called My Friends in Balmain, artful black and white images of Ibrahim's friends, shot against a simple cloth backdrop in his apartment. The clothes are beautiful, with kaftans in rich fabrics, jackets edged with gleaming sequins and loose, oversized tunic and trousers cut from slubby, almost home-spun cloth. Bouncing from raw and unfinished to impeccable tailoring, as a whole the collection feels free and bohemian as it explores the edges of Rousteing's mixed parentage.
And while resort collections are, by definition, aimed at those with a winterless, carefree lifestyle, for Ibrahim it was important to infuse the images with something more fundamental — a sense of kinship.
“Those [models] are my friends. I think of them as a group of people who often remind me of home. As immigrants in the West, we’re very fixated on our identities as Arabs or Arab Americans. I felt excited about a fresh twist, wearing something so beautiful and having fun between my friends. The series is first and foremost an ode to friendship.“
'I see it as a privilege to be Yemeni'
Throughout his work, Ibrahim deals with notions of displacement and being transplanted to new lands, of home, and what it means to be dispossessed. Of the impact of his Arab heritage on his work, Ibrahim sees himself as having a responsibility to those left behind in war-torn Yemen.
"At times, I see it as a privilege to be Yemeni, artist or not. This is a place as old as history can be. With all its complications, conflicts and endless wars, I am still very fortunate that I am one who comes from that world. On the other hand, there is a social responsibility towards bringing Yemeni stories to the surface and creating an awareness on Yemeni matters rather than presenting other bodies of work. It's a sacrifice at times."
Very much a modern nomad, Ibrahim has lived all over the world, and as such has a perspective that brings a unique voice to his art.
Now thrust onto the world stage, Ibrahim is rightly enjoying the moment. "I wanted to create something very personal and intimate that reflects my own crafts while celebrating the Balmain resort 2022 collection.”
