Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
Comedian Tariq Sharif is carving out an alternative career by cutting colourful paper into silhouettes of pop culture icons such as superheroes, celebrities and royalty.
When the 35-year-old from Juffair isn’t busy working on his next on-stage sketch, he is cooped up in his humble abode bandaging his fingers after slicing up different-sized construction paper into 3D works of art which are being snapped up by collectors.
His handmade layered pieces of paper have already captivated attendees at IGN Bahrain and Dubai, events organised by a gaming entertainment website, and it all started because of his love of comic superheroes.
Tariq said: “I have always been known for being a creative type of person so one day I was going through the process of printing out a poster of Spider-Man and unfortunately the colours weren’t sharp enough.
“They looked good on the computer screen but the quality could never be duplicated in print. I tried all the printing presses in the kingdom but they either couldn’t match my expectations … or it was way too expensive.
“While at a stationery shop I saw some amazing coloured paper and then a light bulb went off inside my head!
“I thought to myself: ‘why not construct the entire image with the colours available?’ So, with a little practice with blades and paper, a little blood loss and a few Batman plasters later … I managed to create images I was finally happy with.
“Some call it stencils. Some call it paper art or silhouettes. I call it making a mess and … after all, isn’t that what art is all about!”
