ACTE 21: Francesc Ruiz. The Paper Trail is the new work of Francesc Ruiz. A project that uses the comic, the press and its distribution channels and media to draw a portrait of pre-revolutionary Cairo and thinks about the past and the future of the country. The artist explores the political and religious complexity of a country in the months before the historic revolt that brought down the regime.

The Paper Trail was originally presented at the Contemporary Image Collective in Cairo in October 2010 as a set of three pieces: The Green Detour, Cairo Newsstand and The First Comic Shop in Egypt. The first is a serialized comic adventure that mixes in Cairo of the four main characters in the history of Egyptian comic Tintin, Donald, Samir and Citizen Ground. Through his steps, comics guides us through some of the most significant spaces in order to build a possible Egyptian comic book story.

Newsstand Cairo plays one of the makeshift stalls that occupy the sidewalks of the city. A group of paperweights with its own life seems to have occupied this space and via text balloons manifest chorally, referring to the city itself, to life inside the kiosk and news that surround them, with comments ranging from the wisdom popular political allegory. Finally, The First Comic Shop in Egypt, is a reflection on what had to be the first comic book shop in the history of Egypt, a project finally could not take place.

The work of Francesc Ruiz (Barcelona, ​​1971) has focused since the 90s in the drawing, a practice that uses comics as a medium spread. By applying certain strategies from the conceptual art tradition of Situationism, creates installations and interventions related to specific contexts. ACTE 21: Francesc Ruiz. The Paper Trail, is presented in Nivell Zero of Suñol Foundation in Barcelona until February 4.  

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