Dublin-born Egyptian artist Rafik Greiss discusses his practice and recent work in an interview conducted at a Paris café. Greiss, who recently presented a solo show titled “The Longest Sleep” at Galerie Balice Hertling in Paris, creates photographs and films that explore themes of loneliness, urban space, and religious experience. His 12-minute film *The Longest Sleep* (2024), shot in Cairo, depicts Sufi rituals and deserted fairgrounds, informed by neurotheology. Greiss prints his black-and-white photographs on thick Japanese paper, emphasizing the tactile signature of his lens-based work. He is currently considering exhibition invitations from institutions around the Mediterranean and plans to travel to Egypt to make new work.
The article matters because it profiles an emerging artist whose practice bridges photography, film, and installation, and who is gaining institutional attention across the Mediterranean region. Greiss’s nomadic, studio-avoidant approach and his engagement with Sufi spirituality and urban decay represent a distinctive contemporary voice. The piece also highlights the role of artist residencies and community—such as POUSH in Paris—in supporting experimental practices. As Greiss fields institutional offers, his trajectory signals a growing interest in artists who work across cultural boundaries and incorporate ethnographic and neurotheological perspectives.