{"id":9238,"date":"2019-10-24T16:57:48","date_gmt":"2019-10-24T16:57:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tenzmag.com\/?p=9238"},"modified":"2019-10-25T19:06:44","modified_gmt":"2019-10-25T19:06:44","slug":"ridikkuluz-overthinking-arab-paintbrush","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tenzmag.com\/ridikkuluz-overthinking-arab-paintbrush\/","title":{"rendered":"RIDIKKULUZ\u00a0&#8211; &#8220;Overthinking Arab With A Paintbrush&#8221;"},"content":{"rendered":"<h4><b>RIDIKKULUZ is a New York-based, Jordanian fine artist working in painting, sculpture and video. His work encompasses identity, duality and intense emotion all while bridging the gap between Western and Arab culture. Using a surrealistic context infused with an urban influence, his provocative portraiture projects the vulnerability of the artist\u2019s insecurities. Through his artistry, he inverts the systemic equation of counterfeit-confidence and privilege amounting to success with transparent diligence and the beauty of weakness.\u00a0<\/b><\/h4>\n<h5 style=\"text-align: center;\">Interview by <strong>Mike Milan | <\/strong>Photography<strong> @artieology<\/strong><\/h5>\n<h5><b>For people who may not be art savvy, how would you describe your work?<br \/>\n<\/b>My work encompasses identity, duality and intense emotion all while bridging the gap between Western and Arab culture. In other words, I&#8217;m just trying to do the damn thing lol.<\/h5>\n<h5><b>What mediums do you use to create your art? Do you have a preference?<br \/>\n<\/b>I am a multidisciplinary artist that works in painting, sculpture and video. My favorite is figurative portraiture, the euro-colonizer art form. I like that I, a queer arab gets to build a safe space of acceptance where the complex cultural symbolism of my figures can be seen in the same light of work that appeals to the upper echelon of society.<\/h5>\n<div class=\"tiled-gallery type-rectangular tiled-gallery-unresized\" data-original-width=\"1200\" data-carousel-extra='{&quot;blog_id&quot;:1,&quot;permalink&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/tenzmag.com\\\/ridikkuluz-overthinking-arab-paintbrush\\\/&quot;,&quot;likes_blog_id&quot;:119751432}' itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageGallery\" > <div class=\"gallery-row\" style=\"width: 1200px; height: 898px;\" data-original-width=\"1200\" data-original-height=\"898\" > <div class=\"gallery-group images-1\" style=\"width: 600px; height: 898px;\" data-original-width=\"600\" data-original-height=\"898\" > <div class=\"tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-large\" itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tenzmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_3949.jpg?ssl=1\" border=\"0\" itemprop=\"url\"> <meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"596\"> <meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"894\"> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" data-attachment-id=\"9241\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/tenzmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_3949.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1984,2976\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1571789822&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"IMG_3949\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tenzmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_3949.jpg?fit=200%2C300&#038;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tenzmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_3949.jpg?fit=683%2C1024&#038;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tenzmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_3949.jpg?w=596&#038;h=894&#038;ssl=1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tenzmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_3949.jpg?w=1984&amp;ssl=1 1984w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tenzmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_3949.jpg?resize=200%2C300&amp;ssl=1 200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tenzmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_3949.jpg?resize=768%2C1152&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tenzmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_3949.jpg?resize=683%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 683w\" width=\"596\" height=\"894\" loading=\"lazy\" data-original-width=\"596\" data-original-height=\"894\" itemprop=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/image\" title=\"IMG_3949\" alt=\"IMG_3949\" style=\"width: 596px; height: 894px;\" \/> <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <!-- close group --> <div class=\"gallery-group images-1\" style=\"width: 600px; height: 898px;\" data-original-width=\"600\" data-original-height=\"898\" > <div class=\"tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-large\" itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tenzmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_3946.jpg?ssl=1\" border=\"0\" itemprop=\"url\"> <meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"596\"> <meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"894\"> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" data-attachment-id=\"9240\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/tenzmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_3946.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1984,2976\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;5.6&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS Rebel T6s&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1569337503&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;Copyright 2019. All rights reserved.&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;97&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;2000&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.008&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"IMG_3946\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tenzmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_3946.jpg?fit=200%2C300&#038;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tenzmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_3946.jpg?fit=683%2C1024&#038;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tenzmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_3946.jpg?w=596&#038;h=894&#038;ssl=1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tenzmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_3946.jpg?w=1984&amp;ssl=1 1984w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tenzmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_3946.jpg?resize=200%2C300&amp;ssl=1 200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tenzmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_3946.jpg?resize=768%2C1152&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tenzmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_3946.jpg?resize=683%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 683w\" width=\"596\" height=\"894\" loading=\"lazy\" data-original-width=\"596\" data-original-height=\"894\" itemprop=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/image\" title=\"IMG_3946\" alt=\"IMG_3946\" style=\"width: 596px; height: 894px;\" \/> <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <!-- close group --> <\/div> <!-- close row --> <\/div>\n<h5><b>What inspires you to create your works?<br \/>\n<\/b>Past experiences, dissecting my soul, conversations that are swept under the rug but are begging to see the light of day.<\/h5>\n<h5><b>You\u2019re listed in your IG as \u201cOverthinking Arab,\u201d how does your identity as a gay Arab man play into what you create?<\/b><br \/>\nIt\u2019s something that consumes me and in turn causes me to overthink. The journey to the \u201cself\u201d whilst simultaneously going against the grain has led me to take what I am, dissect it and study it. Being apart of so many subcultures and communities can be an exhausting blessing lol. Once you realize that these boxes don\u2019t actually exist is when you\u2019re able to coexist with all your identities. When I apply this concept to painting it shows me that I am very unique and not as generalized as these \u201clabels\u201d make me out to be. For an example, a lot of my self-portraits feature an exaggerated rugged nose with a hump accompanied by dramatic, pretty eyelashes creating harmony between masculinity and femininity. In other words.. I can be both.<\/h5>\n<h5><b>You recently had a showing of your work that included beautifully painted selfies. What is the story behind that?<\/b><br \/>\nI tried creating provocative portraiture that projects the vulnerability of my insecurities. Regardless of sexual identity, race, gender, etc, something that plays consistent in every subculture is the idea of the powerful and the weak. The one that wins in this life is always the one that is certain of themselves even if they aren\u2019t. The truth is no one knows what they\u2019re doing. In this series, I wanted to pay homage to the transparent weakling, \u00a0the person who is uncertain and afraid to walk into a room with their head high.<\/h5>\n<h5><b>Where can we see your work?<\/b><br \/>\nRIDIKKULUZ.com or Instagram @ridikkuluz or come make a studio visit:)<\/h5>\n<div class=\"tiled-gallery type-rectangular tiled-gallery-unresized\" data-original-width=\"1200\" data-carousel-extra='{&quot;blog_id&quot;:1,&quot;permalink&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/tenzmag.com\\\/ridikkuluz-overthinking-arab-paintbrush\\\/&quot;,&quot;likes_blog_id&quot;:119751432}' itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageGallery\" > <div class=\"gallery-row\" style=\"width: 1200px; height: 898px;\" data-original-width=\"1200\" data-original-height=\"898\" > <div class=\"gallery-group images-1\" style=\"width: 600px; height: 898px;\" data-original-width=\"600\" data-original-height=\"898\" > <div class=\"tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-large\" itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tenzmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_3952.jpg?ssl=1\" border=\"0\" itemprop=\"url\"> <meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"596\"> <meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"894\"> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" data-attachment-id=\"9243\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/tenzmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_3952.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1984,2976\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;sammerr&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;{\\u0022total_effects_actions\\u0022:0,\\u0022total_draw_time\\u0022:0,\\u0022layers_used\\u0022:0,\\u0022effects_tried\\u0022:0,\\u0022total_draw_actions\\u0022:0,\\u0022total_editor_actions\\u0022:{\\u0022border\\u0022:0,\\u0022frame\\u0022:0,\\u0022mask\\u0022:0,\\u0022lensflare\\u0022:0,\\u0022clipart\\u0022:0,\\u0022text\\u0022:0,\\u0022square_fit\\u0022:0,\\u0022shape_mask\\u0022:0,\\u0022callout\\u0022:0},\\u0022effects_applied\\u0022:0,\\u0022uid\\u0022:\\u002251F7830C-B105-4F1C-A8AB-BD45CD3A5D75_1571545034736\\u0022,\\u0022width\\u0022:1984,\\u0022photos_added\\u0022:0,\\u0022total_effects_time\\u0022:0,\\u0022tools_used\\u0022:{\\u0022tilt_shift\\u0022:0,\\u0022resize\\u0022:0,\\u0022adjust\\u0022:0,\\u0022curves\\u0022:0,\\u0022motion\\u0022:0,\\u0022perspective\\u0022:0,\\u0022clone\\u0022:0,\\u0022crop\\u0022:0,\\u0022enhance\\u0022:0,\\u0022selection\\u0022:0,\\u0022free_crop\\u0022:0,\\u0022flip_rotate\\u0022:0,\\u0022shape_crop\\u0022:0,\\u0022stretch\\u0022:0},\\u0022source_sid\\u0022:\\u002251F7830C-B105-4F1C-A8AB-BD45CD3A5D75_1571545034751\\u0022,\\u0022origin\\u0022:\\u0022gallery\\u0022,\\u0022height\\u0022:2976,\\u0022subsource\\u0022:\\u0022done_button\\u0022,\\u0022total_editor_time\\u0022:198,\\u0022brushes_used\\u0022:0}&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1571789833&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tenzmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_3952.jpg?fit=200%2C300&#038;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tenzmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_3952.jpg?fit=683%2C1024&#038;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tenzmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_3952.jpg?w=596&#038;h=894&#038;ssl=1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tenzmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_3952.jpg?w=1984&amp;ssl=1 1984w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tenzmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_3952.jpg?resize=200%2C300&amp;ssl=1 200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tenzmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_3952.jpg?resize=768%2C1152&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tenzmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_3952.jpg?resize=683%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 683w\" width=\"596\" height=\"894\" loading=\"lazy\" data-original-width=\"596\" data-original-height=\"894\" itemprop=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/image\" title=\"\" alt=\"\" style=\"width: 596px; height: 894px;\" \/> <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <!-- close group --> <div class=\"gallery-group images-1\" style=\"width: 600px; height: 898px;\" data-original-width=\"600\" data-original-height=\"898\" > <div class=\"tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-large\" itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tenzmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_3944.jpg?ssl=1\" border=\"0\" itemprop=\"url\"> <meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"596\"> <meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"894\"> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" data-attachment-id=\"9242\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/tenzmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_3944.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1984,2976\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;4&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS Rebel T6s&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Processed with VSCO with hb2 preset&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1569337166&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;Copyright 2019. All rights reserved.&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;18&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;320&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.033333333333333&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Processed with VSCO with hb2 preset&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tenzmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_3944.jpg?fit=200%2C300&#038;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tenzmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_3944.jpg?fit=683%2C1024&#038;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tenzmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_3944.jpg?w=596&#038;h=894&#038;ssl=1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tenzmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_3944.jpg?w=1984&amp;ssl=1 1984w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tenzmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_3944.jpg?resize=200%2C300&amp;ssl=1 200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tenzmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_3944.jpg?resize=768%2C1152&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tenzmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_3944.jpg?resize=683%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 683w\" width=\"596\" height=\"894\" loading=\"lazy\" data-original-width=\"596\" data-original-height=\"894\" itemprop=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/image\" title=\"\" alt=\"\" style=\"width: 596px; height: 894px;\" \/> <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <!-- close group --> <\/div> <!-- close row --> <\/div>\n<h5><strong>How did you discover ballroom?<\/strong><br \/>\nFor me, I found out about vogueing before ballroom. In high school, I was in a dance crew and my mentor, Najee, would teach us some tutting choreo and then we would somehow find our way into vogueing lmao. I was 14 at the time, so I remember having practice on Monday with him telling us stories about the ball that he went to over the weekend or his night at Escuelita and we would all gag. Next thing you know I saw Vogue Evolution on America\u2019s best dance crew and I was like damn, this is bigger than Najee and the crew just having fun. I was like wait I have to delve deeper and then I watched Paris is Burning (cliche lol) and that showed me that ballroom was so much more than dance. Mind you, I\u2019ve been watching the same Willy Ninja videos since high school lol.<\/h5>\n<h5><b>Has ballroom made any impact on your work or personal life?<\/b><br \/>\nA huge impact. Its intensified people\u2019s persona\u2019s in my mind. The guy walking down wall street is much more dramatic than ever before, especially if you have your headphones in. It&#8217;s also taught me about perception versus reality. In real life, people are definitely paying attention to \u201cthe look\u201d and these categories are definitely real and there are parallels that are being drawn to societal hierarchy. In terms of vogueing, it makes me feel most confident. Like Finally!! the person that used to get told they\u2019re \u201cdoing too much\u201d in school can finally get praise for being expressive.<\/h5>\n<h5><b>What\u2019s your favorite category to watch and why?<br \/>\n<\/b>I love realness with a twist. I like the idea that you&#8217;re teasing the crowd with a heteronormative construct and then the element of surprise comes into play. The hips start moving, the gender lines start blurring and then you\u2019re left jaw dropped once the body elegantly collapses on the floor.<\/h5>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"9244\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/tenzmag.com\/ridikkuluz-overthinking-arab-paintbrush\/processed-with-vsco-with-hb2-preset-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tenzmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_3943.jpg?fit=2976%2C1984&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"2976,1984\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;3.5&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS Rebel T6s&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Processed with VSCO with hb2 preset&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1569336837&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;Copyright 2019. All rights reserved.&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;18&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;320&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.033333333333333&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Processed with VSCO with hb2 preset&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Processed with VSCO with hb2 preset\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Processed with VSCO with hb2 preset&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tenzmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_3943.jpg?fit=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tenzmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_3943.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-9244 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tenzmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_3943.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tenzmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_3943.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tenzmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_3943.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tenzmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_3943.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tenzmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_3943.jpg?w=2400&amp;ssl=1 2400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<h5><b>What\u2019s next for you in 2020?<br \/>\n<\/b>I view myself as a student for life, so most importantly I\u2019d like to keep learning. In 2019, I took the time to work on public art projects that I hope to see come to fruition in 2020. I also hope to get better at arm control lmao.<\/h5>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>RIDIKKULUZ is a New York-based, Jordanian fine artist working in painting, sculpture and video. His work encompasses identity, duality and intense emotion all while bridging the gap between Western and Arab culture. Using a surrealistic context infused with an urban influence, his provocative portraiture projects the vulnerability of the artist\u2019s insecurities. Through his artistry, he [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9239,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[34,30],"tags":[1633,72,3046,3066,3045,3047],"yst_prominent_words":[3069,3052,3068,3057,3064,3063,3048,3070,3053,3056,3049,3051,3073,3055,3072,3067,3071,3058,3062,3050],"class_list":["post-9238","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ballroom","category-news","tag-art","tag-ballroom","tag-mixed-media","tag-overthinking-arab","tag-paint","tag-ridikkuluz"],"views":709,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tenzmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_3955.jpg?fit=2976%2C1984&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p86sOI-2p0","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tenzmag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9238","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tenzmag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tenzmag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tenzmag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tenzmag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9238"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/tenzmag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9238\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9259,"href":"https:\/\/tenzmag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9238\/revisions\/9259"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tenzmag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9239"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tenzmag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9238"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tenzmag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9238"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tenzmag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9238"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tenzmag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=9238"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}