La Fete on La bodega’s walls : Laurent Garosi creates a French Festival with the stroke of his brush

Laurent Garosi, artist, painter and Cairo lover decided to use his palette to bring the walls at La Bodega’s Bistro to life. With a touch of humor and a stroke of the brush, Laurent renovates the extension at Cairo’s most sophisticated neighborhood restaurant. On the 10^th year anniversary of La Bodega, the aim was to completely remake this space that has continued to consistently upgrade itself. Blending art and dining, La Bodega depends on the most talented of artists to create their commissioned work and in this case it was up to Laurent to revision the ten year old landmark.

Laurent Garosi speaks to the La Bodega blog

Inspired by the many fun time at La Bodega, Laurent, a regular, now wearing the painter’s beret, wanted to create art that was light and humorous. He aimed to tell a funny story, more like a joke, that made people laugh but with in the most professionally artistic manner. A very serious classy French joke on the wall. “La Bodega’s owners knew that they wanted, a French theme to go with the Bistro” Laurent recalls. “After a few meetings with the owners and showing them samples of my work, we were all on the same page and I could envision the new walls”. Laurent had been living and working in Egypt, which he moved to after falling in love with its oriental charm. He was now a regular of La Bodega. This artist felt he was perfect for the job, after all he was French, a La Bodega lover and a painter. It didn’t get much better than that.

Excited Laurent says in a very French accent “there is no other place in Egypt that carefully integrates art and dining together. La Bodega creates a “quality of space” and I wanted to be part of creating this complete dining experience.” Laurant adds “La Bodega is just beautifully designed with the rest of the restaurant success elements like the food and service complementing. You can feel quality in every aspect of the space.”

Laurent was inspired in this authentic 1929 built apartment in Zamelak, home of La Bodega. “My philosophy was to create a fete”, a dynamic French festival in multi color, with emotions popping out of the walls. A combination of the Moulin Rouge and French girls dancing the Cancan, but with a funny twist and a touch of romance”. Laurent works mainly with oil, acrylic paint and varnish. He creates pieces of art on walls and ceilings, giving classic, modern and metallic effects to whatever he paints. At La bodega he has transformed 6 walls and a large authentic mirror. The result was this French “fete” that is now the renovated Lounge at La Bodega’s Bistro.

To know more about Laurent's work, please visit: http://www.laurentgarosi.com/

Mira Shihadeh, artist, tells La Bodega about the fun she had creating the murals in the Bistro!

If you’re an artist you’ll know that some projects are closer to your heart than others and that some pieces are just more fun to create. My work creating the Murals in La Bodega’s Bistro, when the restaurant first opened ten years ago, has been a highlight of my artistic career and certainly some of the most fun I’ve had!

Recognise this? One of Mira's early murals in La Bodega that no longer exists!

I’m an American born Palestinian and had just moved back from New York around the time La Bodega opened. I am more a whimsical drawer than a painter, of anything figurative, from paper to stone carving. When the owners of La Bodega approached me, I really felt inspired. They knew exactly what they wanted: a creative use of the pillars and walls in the main dining room of The Bistro. Specifically, they had in mind a piece of art that blended with the walls of the restaurant and with the buzzing dinner crowd. Everything else they left up to me. They believed in my artistic capabilities, trusted my artistic sense and gave me the space to unleash my creativity. I really felt I was part of the new and exciting La Bodega project, where everything – from the restaurant concept to the art – was being tried for the very first time. It was enthralling.

I decided that murals it would be and set about working at once! I first made a paper cut out of how I envisioned the murals to be. Then, three weeks later my work at La Bodega was complete. The whole experience had great memories. I recall that award winning Egyptian Director Yussef Chahine was filming one of his movies at La Bodega and that they had set up a dressing room in one of the rooms I was creating my art in. Even world famous shoe designer Christian Louboutin complimented me on the shoes that graced the ladies’ feet in the mural…that meant a lot to me!

Mira Shihadeh, Artist

To me, a mural, drawing or sculpture is a story. In the case of La Bodega, it was very important for me to engage people: after all, the murals would be occupying, and interacting with, a very public space. I wanted there to always be a story for groups to point at and talk about, and for those dining alone to be entertained by. I personally like to create figurative art involving crowds and people. In the case of La Bodega, I set to create a parody. A snap shot of what happens in real life, capturing the emotions, stares and gestures involved.

I have studied psychology and also teach yoga. So, in this piece I wanted to combine all that with art to create a piece that expresses “life”. I wanted it to be lively, just like La Bodega is a place for friends and family to gather and celebrate different occasions in life. I wanted my piece to be loud without speaking, to be dynamic without it necessarily moving. This is exactly what you find when you go into La Bodega’s Bistro. I am very proud that I contributed to this great place and definitely remember my work there as the most fun I had as an artist.


Mira Shihadeh
Artist

To see Mira Shihadeh’s work visit: https://www.mirashiha.com/