Gray Fruit

𝑾𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒊𝒕 𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒕, 𝒘𝒆 𝒅𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒖𝒎𝒃𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒂𝒔. — 𝐑𝐚𝐪𝐬 𝐌𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 We stumbled upon this quote while the weather outside reassures us with a warm, steady summer—unusual for Belgium. Rainy seasons shift. Global warming distorts our habits, our thermal intuition. The body sweats when once it expected to shiver. Rain becomes both awakening and warning, and for many an unfulfilled desire, especially as heatwaves conjure their own teasing hallucinations. When it rains art, we do go out. Out of our safe zones—unguarded—until discomfort folds into bodily knowledge—into what we can, and cannot yet name. #grayfruit #graywordbook #rain *𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐲 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 is a collection of words we want to prevent from disappearing against the odds of our times.

This long weekend finds us gambling on the future, caught in the tension that grips one when you stake everything on chance—a kind of « try to guess what comes next » feeling. As the nights grow shorter during this time of year, events unfold with strange momentum. Ambushed by quiet catastrophes and serendipitous encounters, we drift from place to place; we watch, sometimes step in, retrieve lost objects, and find refuge in the gray of dawn, somewhere downtown. #chanceoperations #simulacra #grayfruit

The first photo was taken exactly one year ago, when we were not yet Gray Fruit. We met our friend and artist Zinaïda on Pl. du Jeu de Balle. Different states of anger and disillusionment with the art world’s dynamics were floating in the air. Zinaïda bought a piece of furniture at the flea market, and we helped her carry it, storing it in Arash’s basement until she could install it at the nearby Jewish Museum a few days later. The second photo is from yesterday. We ran into Zinaïda at the protests on Pl. de la Monnaie. There are still many reasons to be angry, as populist tendencies spread quickly—but instead, we laugh, happy to have met again. There is beauty in repetition, Milan Kundera once said. Funnily enough, after the protests, we once again find ourselves moving furniture from our studio to Arash’s basement. With this memory, we introduce 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐲 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤—a collection of words we want to prevent from disappearing against the odds of our times. We begin with 𝐀𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲, with its antidotal 𝐀. 𝐀𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 against Arizona’s plan against artists, and 𝐀𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 in favor of our voices, our knowledge, and the power we possess over our lives. 🍈🌿❤️ #graywordbook #agency

Farewell to our piece of studio heaven at SB34 Clovis. Gentrification be damned. For now, we are moving to a place where it never rains! ☀️ Take a sneak peek at our operations—now in The Sims! 😀 SB34 Clovis community, you will be missed! ❤️🍈🌿 #shortbutsweet

𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐢 𝐕𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 is the feminist typeface we use for Gray Fruit’s identity. Designed by @aasawari_kulkarni as a critical response to what she described as ‘typatriarchy’—the positioning and hierarchy in typography and design—it offers more expressionist and inclusive typographic language. The font operates along three fluid axes: 𝑉𝑜𝑖𝑐𝑒 (weight), 𝑀𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑠𝑒𝑡 (width), and 𝐹𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 (contrast), enabling diverse expressions such as softness, flexibility, assertiveness, neutrality, loudness, and hostility. ❤️🌱 #SoftRevolutions #NariVariable #GrayFruit #feministdesigner

“Go outside of you. Look at yourself walking down the street. Make yourself tumble on a stone and fall. Watch it. Watch other people looking. Observe carefully how to fall. How long it takes and in what rhythm you fall. Observe as seeing a slow motion film.” Yoko Ono, 𝑭𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑷𝒊𝒆𝒄𝒆, 1964 [in:] 𝙂𝒓𝙖𝒑𝙚𝒇𝙧𝒖𝙞𝒕. 𝘼 𝘽𝒐𝙤𝒌 𝒐𝙛 𝙄𝒏𝙨𝒕𝙧𝒖𝙘𝒕𝙞𝒐𝙣 𝙖𝒏𝙙 𝘿𝒓𝙖𝒘𝙞𝒏𝙜𝒔 𝒃𝙮 𝙔𝒐𝙠𝒐 𝑶𝙣𝒐, 1964 (ed. 2000) #instructions #grayfruit #artmentoring #studiovibes

𝐒𝐨, 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐲 𝐨𝐫 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐲? 😀 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐬𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞? Mentoring is a learning practice – a one-to-one, 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑐𝑒𝑠𝑠-𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑑 partnership that evolves over time. It is 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑧𝑒𝑑 and 𝑐𝑜𝑙𝑙𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒, adapting to your unique needs. When can it be useful? 🍈 𝐀𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 – Whether it’s for your own communication channels or external requests, how you speak and write about your work can shape future collaborations. Together, we prepare for studio visits, assist in crafting statements, developing synopses, and curating portfolios. 🍈 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 – Are you working on a new commission? Submitting a proposal? Returning to your practice after a break? We help ensure your work resonates within its broader context while staying true to your unique voice. We analyze thematic, organizational, and time frameworks, identify research opportunities, take resources into consideration. 🍈 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 – Building meaningful partnerships can be one of the most enriching and empowering parts of an artistic path. We help you reflect on current and potential collaborations, navigate human complexities, identify networks, protect your boundaries, and improve communication. 🍈 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐫 – Whether it involves reframing your current role or exploring new directions, recognizing your investments and the need for growth serves as a crucial starting point. In this process, we are here to help you embrace change and gain a new perspective on your work. 🍈 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 – Art-making carries an emotional charge that is often difficult to express or even recognize. The boundaries between the personal and professional frequently blur, making it challenging to maintain equilibrium. As active listeners, we provide the space for questions to surface and ideas to crystallize. We work primarily with individuals but also with art organizations. #artmentoring #grayfruit #earlgreytea #care

𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐰𝐬🍈🍈🍈 We just planted a seed for 𝑮𝒓𝒂𝒚 𝑭𝒓𝒖𝒊𝒕, an artists’ agency and learning platform designed to support artists and art workers through mentoring and communication strategies. This initiative is our way of addressing gaps in the artistic landscape and offering space for meaningful, less pressured approaches to artistic work. 𝐺𝑟𝑎𝑦 𝐹𝑟𝑢𝑖𝑡 will focus on key areas such as alternative learning and development, creative writing, communication, grant writing and collaboration. If you are curious about the gray fruit botanical phenomenon, here’s what we’ve discovered: 𝖳𝗁𝖾 𝖦𝗋𝖺𝗒 𝖥𝗋𝗎𝗂𝗍 (𝖫𝖺𝗍. 𝘍𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘴 𝘐𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘨𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘴) 𝖾𝗑𝗁𝗂𝖻𝗂𝗍𝗌 𝖺 𝗆𝗎𝗍𝖾𝖽, 𝗌𝗂𝗅𝗏𝖾𝗋𝗒 𝖾𝗉𝗂𝖽𝖾𝗋𝗆𝗂𝗌, 𝖺𝗇 𝖺𝖽𝖺𝗉𝗍𝗂𝗏𝖾 𝗍𝗋𝖺𝗂𝗍 𝗁𝗒𝗉𝗈𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗌𝗂𝗓𝖾𝖽 𝗍𝗈 𝗌𝖾𝗋𝗏𝖾 𝖺𝗌 𝖼𝗋𝗒𝗉𝗍𝗂𝖼 𝖼𝖺𝗆𝗈𝗎𝖿𝗅𝖺𝗀𝖾 𝖺𝗀𝖺𝗂𝗇𝗌𝗍 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗇𝖾𝖻𝗎𝗅𝗈𝗎𝗌 𝗅𝖺𝗇𝖽𝗌𝖼𝖺𝗉𝖾𝗌 𝗐𝗁𝖾𝗋𝖾 𝗂𝗍 𝗍𝖺𝗄𝖾𝗌 𝗋𝗈𝗈𝗍. 𝖴𝗇𝗅𝗂𝗄𝖾 𝖼𝗈𝗇𝗏𝖾𝗇𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇𝖺𝗅 𝖿𝗋𝗎𝗂𝗍-𝖻𝖾𝖺𝗋𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗌𝗉𝖾𝖼𝗂𝖾𝗌, 𝘍. 𝘐𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘨𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘴 𝖽𝗈𝖾𝗌 𝗇𝗈𝗍 𝗋𝖾𝗅𝗒 𝗈𝗇 𝖿𝗂𝗑𝖾𝖽 𝗀𝖾𝗈𝗀𝗋𝖺𝗉𝗁𝗒; 𝗂𝗇𝗌𝗍𝖾𝖺𝖽, 𝗂𝗍 𝗉𝗋𝗈𝗉𝖺𝗀𝖺𝗍𝖾𝗌 𝗂𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖿𝖾𝗋𝗍𝗂𝗅𝖾 𝗀𝗋𝗈𝗎𝗇𝖽 𝗈𝖿 𝖼𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗏𝖾 𝗉𝗈𝗍𝖾𝗇𝗍𝗂𝖺𝗅𝗂𝗍𝗒. 🌱 To learn more, visit 𝐰𝐰𝐰.𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐲𝐟𝐫𝐮𝐢𝐭.𝐛𝐞 (link in bio) or follow us on social media. 📸 Serena Vittorini #artmentoring #grayfruit #creativeariting #artcommunication #fructusincognitus