Osman Yousefzada | |
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عثمان یوسفزاده | |
Born | 1977 Birmingham, England |
Years active | 2008 - present |
Known for | Art, fashion |
Website | osmanstudio |
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.