Foot in the Door Opening Reception

Opening reception of Foot in the Door 4. I spy Rabi's piece, do you?

Foot in the Door 4 is an open exhibition for all Minnesota artists, which takes place every ten years at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Since 1980, Foot in the Door has celebrated the diversity and enthusiasm of Minnesota's visual arts community.

Foot in the Door 4

Check out Rabi's submission to the MIA's Foot in the Door 4 featured in the Star Tribune.

Hangar 11 Exhibit

Photos from the open studio and exhibit at Hangar 11 Dec 13-25, 2009.

Visit our Website

You may have found that I don't update our blog very regularly. At this time, I definitely use our Yarbi Design website and Facebook account to get the word out about Rabi. So check us out at those 2 sites if you're wondering what we're up to!

Happy 2010!! May it be the best yet.

Hangar 11

Rabi is exhibiting his modern African art for the first time outside of the US and for the first time in his native Burkina Faso. His sculptures feature found objects, brass, copper and steel.

Join Rabi for an exhibit of 6 artists, including his twin brother Raogo who creates mixed media pieces and their cousin, painter Harouna Ouédraogo. Harouna is the president and founding member of Hangar 11, a collective art workshop.

Hangar 11
Secteur 11
Quartier Kologh-Naaba
Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

Open Studio: December 13-17 @ 10am-8pm
Exhibit Open: December 18-25 @ 10am-8pm

Art enthusiasts can stop by Hangar 11 now until December 17 to watch Rabi and the others create their pieces.

Entertainment and refreshments will be provided during the Opening Reception on Friday, December 18 at 7:30-10pm. Refreshments will be provided during the Closing Reception on Sunday, December 20 at 7:30-10pm.

For directions or questions, please contact Harouna at 70-14-33-84.

Award of Excellence

Rabi received the Award of Excellence - Metal at the 55th Annual Art Fair on the Square in Lake Forest, IL this last weekend. The Art Fair on the Square is the Deer Path Art League’s signature event. This year 180 artists were selected to participate.

He also sold his award winning "Chronicles of a Warrior" to a really nice couple. We were a bit sad to see it go so quickly but know it's going to a great home.

A great couple from Argentina were our neighbors at the fair: Marisa and Daniel. We ended up getting a trio of Marisa's work. Check out her other paintings and if you're interested, we actually do have a few that we're trying to sell for her.

Ant Finds a Home

Rabi donated the Industrious Cooperative Ant, a sculpture he made for the MN DNR which was on display at the 2008 MN State Fair, to South St. Paul. It blends in pretty well at the Wildflower Levee Park. Check out the article about the donation. Rabi was officially thanked by the city at their city council meeting on July 20th.

Chronicles of a Warrior

From the display on Nicollet Mall today.

1st Place at 9th Annual Art of Recycling

Rabi was awarded First Place at the 9th Annual American Iron Metal Sculpture Competition, which is part of the 2009 Minneapolis Aquatennial celebration, for his piece "Chronicles of a Warrior." This is first year American Iron has not had 2 categories (large and small sculptures) but rather judged all sizes together.

With this sculpture, Rabi put his late father's stories into a visual form. Emilie Sanfo wrote many fable and stories, but did not complete this epic. Rabi's twin brother Raogo completed the tale of the warrior, and Rabi translated it into English for the competition to accompany the sculpture.

Chronicles of a Warrior

I am wounded and tired
From luring them in this place
In this valley…
Where their fathers killed my father
They are armed to the teeth
Some of them are even brandishing
Some of my own weapons that I had to leave
Behind on the battlefield
Now I am almost on my knees
But my shield is holding me from collapsing
They are so many…too many
Even for the Lord of Wars
Who broke his sword and his shield
They know that I am lost
But as the hunter still fears the wounded lion
They step back when I push a loud breath
The clouds are gathering so the sun
Doesn’t witness my fall
The valley is cold but my sweat is burning
My eyes and my wounds
I hear my heart beating…
I hear the voice telling me to stand up
And fight

The piece will be on public display Tuesday and Wednesday, July 21st and 22nd, on Nicollet Mall in front of the IDS Crystal Court (717 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis). Please stop by the IDS Crystal Court from 10am-6pm if you get a chance.

All entries will eventually be posted on the American Iron site and we will post photos too tomorrow.

New Website

We've finally launched a new website! Please check it out and tell us what you think. You can also reach us at rabi@yarbidesign.com or nancy@yarbidesign.com.

We'll still use this blog every now and then to update you on our thoughts and exciting news. But we wanted to move towards a site with a more useful portfolio. We still have a bunch of photos to upload so come back often to see the updates! We'll also accept online sales pretty soon via PayPal.