Osman Yousefzada

Osman Yousefzada
عثمان یوسفزاده
Yousefzada in 2016 at The Asian Awards
Born1977
Birmingham, England
Years active2008 - present
Known forArt, fashion
Websiteosmanstudio.com
Osman Yousefzada’s More Immigrants Please aims to reimagine migration discourse by introducing positive vocabulary and subverting the visual language of barricade tape usually associated with exclusion.

Osman Yousefzada (Pashto: عثمان یوسفزاده) is a British interdisciplinary artist, writer and social activist. His art practice since 2010 revolves around storytelling, merging auto-ethnography with fiction and ritual. He is a politically led artist, and is concerned with the representation and rupture of the migrational experience and makes reference in his work to socio-political issues of today.[1][2] His response to the hostile language towards Immigrants used by politicians such as Suella Braverman was a series of 5000 billboards across the UK in 2023, saying ‘More Immigrants Please’ welcoming them with an Eastern Rug collaged into the text artwork.[3][4]

Since 2013, Osman has been making a 'zine' called The Collective - a cross disciplinary publication of themed conversations, between writers, artists, and curators, including, Milovan Farronato, Hans Ulrich Obrist, Nicola Lees, Celia Hempton, Anthea Hamilton, Prem Singh and others.[5]

Yousefzada has shown internationally at various institutions, from the Whitechapel Gallery, V&A, Camden Arts Centre, Dhaka Art Summit, Lahore Biennale, Lahore Museum, Cincinnati Art Museum, Ringling  Museum and the Almaty Museum along with various solo exhibitions including; ‘Being Somewhere Else’ (2018)[6] at the Ikon Gallery, What is Seen & What is Not’ (2022)[7] at the V&A, Embodiments of Memory’ (2023) British Ceramics Biennale - Potteries Museum. ‘Queer Feet’ (2024) Charleston, ‘Where it Began’ (2024) a prelude to Bradford City of Culture at Cartwright Hall, and Welcome! A Palazzo for Immigrants (2024) presented by the Fondazione Berengo & the V&A in conjunction with the 60th Venice Biennale at Palazzo Franchetti.

  1. ^ "Interview: Osman Yousefzada On Alternative Masculinities & The Immigrant Experience".
  2. ^ "Osman Yousefzada's Powerful New Show Delves Into the Migrant Experience".
  3. ^ "No But Where Are You Really From? – new UK-wide public art show examines identity".
  4. ^ "NO BUT WHERE ARE YOU REALLY FROM?".
  5. ^ "Preview The new issue of Osman the collective".
  6. ^ "Artist Osman Yousefzada's new show is a personal reflection on migration".
  7. ^ "Artist Osman Yousefzada: 'I'm putting my history in the V&A foyer for everyone to see'".