Amir

About

"I came into the world imbued with the will to find meaning in things, my spirit filled with the desire to attain to the source of the world, and then I found that I was an object in the midst of other objects." Frantz Fanon

My practice focuses on challenging social norms and representation while exploring the intersectionality of economics, politics, activism, religion and Blackness. As a Black man, I have seen the generational effects of systematic oppression. As a visual artist, I was struck by how many images depicted of my community were taken by interlopers. This led me to create images countering mainstream tropes dictated by Western Epistemology.

My work aims to diversify the traditional canon of photography by using images to spark culturally relevant conversations. Studying literature, in particular historical fiction, widened my perspective. I now experiment with new forms of storytelling using narrative, fiction, and time to address historical and systemic factors informing my work.

Involvements

UCSD Visual Arts MFA Candidate 2023
Master of Fine Art in Visuals Art
Suraj Israni Center For Cinematic Arts Fellow
Fellowship Recipient
House of Sedulo Artist in Residence
AIR in Baltimore, MD
William Male Foundation Artist
Grant Recipient
SF Camerawork Artist
San Francisco Camerawork: See How Beautiful I Am - Benefit Auction 2020
Eddie Adams Workshop 2020 Student
Photojournalism workshop
New York Portfolio Review 2020 Participant
New York portfolio review produced by New York Times photo department.
ZANJ Founder
Community-driven art movement that provides established and emerging artists of color gallery space and representation
First Exposures Mentor
A nationally recognized youth photography and mentoring program in the San Francisco Bay Area
Howard University Alumni
Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Government

Exhibitions

CSULB SOA Art Galleries Long Beach, California
Houston Center For Photography Houston, Texas
Center For Fine Art Photography Fort Collins, Colorado
Center for Photographic Art Carmel, California
Future 2022
Filter Photo Chicago, Illinois
East Gallery Claremont, California
SoCal MFA Exhibition 2021
Common's Gallery San Diego, California
VAF Main Gallery San Diego
Photo Alliance San Francisco, CA
Chrysler Museum Norfolk, VA
Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles Center of Photography Los Angeles, California
Southern Exposure San Francisco, California
Mpls Photo Center Minneapolis, Minnesota
1090 Bryant St. San Francisco, California

Press Image Features & Articles

Teachers College Press
Post News Group
About Place Journal