Omid Memarian is a passionate art enthusiast and an active observer of emerging international photographers and painters. He served as a content advisor for the Peace Prize Photo Exhibition in November 2023 in Oslo, as well as a content and production advisor for notable art exhibitions, including Shirin Neshat's 2019 group exhibition, “The World between You and Everything,” and Yalda Moairy's upcoming 2024 photo exhibition, “Standing in the Dust.”
His own photographic work is featured in the compilation “The Great Recession” (2008), published by UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism. Additionally, he is the editor of “Sketches of Iran” (2013), a collection of 40 impactful cartoons and essays that reflect contemporary Iranian life.
In his interviews featured on Global Voices, Memarian engages with artists across a spectrum of disciplines, exploring their distinctive artistic expressions. These conversations delve into critical themes of identity and globalization while interrogating and redefining conventional narratives within the art world through innovative and thought-provoking creative practices.
As a World Peace Fellow at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism (2007-2009) and the recipient of the prestigious “Human Rights Defender Award” (2005) from Human Rights Watch, Memarian combines a deep commitment to social justice with his journalistic pursuits.
He has published thought-provoking Op-Ed pieces in major publications, including the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Time.com, Daily Beast, San Francisco Chronicle, Foreign Affairs, Politico, and OpenDemocracy, among others.
Latest posts by Omid Memarian
Bringing ‘Pateh’ to the world: Sara Qashghai’s artistic reinterpretation of Iranian needlework
Collaborating with local artisans, Qashghai expresses her emotions and social concerns through thread, combining personal narratives with traditional techniques and bringing Pateh into the global art scene.
The art of destruction and creation: Exploring identity and spirituality in the work of Alexis Peskine
"Peskine’s art transcends the confines of portraiture, offering instead a visual language that speaks to the collective soul — capturing the nuances of strength, vulnerability, and transformation."
Iranian artist Korosh Ghazimorad redefines calligraphy through tradition and innovation
"I aim for an expression that challenges the viewer's mind, inviting them to reflect beyond the surface meanings of the lines while preserving the authenticity of calligraphic art."
Transforming trauma into art through smoke and spirit: Congolese artist Géraldine Tobe
This artist transforms personal trauma into art through her unique smoke-painting technique, exploring themes of ancestral beliefs, colonial history, resilience, and healing in her powerful works.
The rise of Ethiopian art on the global stage: Insights from curator Mifta Zeleke
"Africa has 54 countries, each with diverse and rich artistic traditions, but these complexities often need to be simplified. Labels like 'African art' are misleading and reinforce this generalization."
Iranian artist Homa Ebrahimpour discusses censorship, sculpture, and defying boundaries
The 'Woman, Life, Freedom' movement "profoundly impacted Ebrahimpour’s approach, encouraging her to create and share works that she had previously hidden, including sculptures and paintings that explore the female form."
From uprootedness to artistic expression: An interview with Cameroonian artist Salifou Lindou
'Lindou’s art reflects a rare sensitivity, addressing contemporary complexities through a refined aesthetic lens, reacts to current events and offers a sophisticated meditation on power, identity, and the human condition.'
‘My art is a tribute to my origins and childhood': An interview with Burkina Faso-born artist Saïdou Dicko
'Drawing inspiration from his early years as a shepherd in Burkina Faso, Dicko's artistic prowess blossoms against the backdrop of Sahelian landscapes.'
‘Manifesting my struggles in my painting’: An interview with Iranian artist Zeynab Movahed
Her work communicates the ongoing fight for equal rights in a country that can be described as a “gender-apartheid” state, despite the fact that a large number of its women are highly educated.
‘The ambition of expressing myself freely': A conversation with Iranian artist Arghavan Khosravi
"One does not need to be Iranian to relate to the sense of uncertainty and repression woven into [Khosravi's] paintings."
The power of ‘personal experience': An interview with Egyptian artist Youssef Nabil
Nabil's "technique mixes painting and photography, inspired by hand-painted movie posters of the 1940s and 1950s, and is reminiscent of the pre-digital world."
Ali Banisadr and the art of ‘visual thinking’
Ali Banisadr's MATRIX 185 exhibition at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art is the Iranian-American artist’s first solo museum exhibition in the US.
‘Shadow Means Strength, Shadow is Invincible': A conversation with Turkish artist Selma Gurbuz
"That which is real does not change, but its shadow can change. Shadow is a two-dimensional representation. It shows us ourselves."
Through the Orientalist looking-glass: An interview with Moroccan artist Lalla Essaydi
"In my photography, I explore this [Orientalist] space, whether mental or physical, and interrogate its role in gender identity-making, while engaging with centuries of cultural heritage and artistic practices."
‘African art has nourished all civilizations': A Conversation with Algerian artist Rachid Koraichi
"We owe thanks to this wonderful continent that allows us not only to exist but also to give lessons, even if some people want to push us into the corner."
The magic of paper and ink: A conversation with Iranian-American artist Hadieh Shafie
Born in Iran and raised in the US, Hadieh Shafie is fascinated with reimagining the book form, drawing textual forms and exploring color and its emotive power.
History, landscape, body: A conversation with Pakistani artist Ali Kazim
Kazim’s works have been exhibited in major international fairs and exhibitions around the world, including New York’s Frieze art fair in 2019.
‘An interplay between Western and Eastern Cultures': Two art exhibitions on cultural collisions
In October 2019 in Brooklyn, New York, two women artists from Iran and Pakistan exhibited new bodies of work in which they portrayed the interplay between Western and Eastern cultures
‘Creating Suspension Between Contradictory States': An interview with artist Parastou Forouhar
"I try to create the potential for suspension between contradictory states that will emotionally and psychologically engage viewers and make them ask questions."
‘Everybody is looking for authenticity': A conversation with South African artist Siwa Mgoboza
South African multidisciplinary visual artist Siwa Mgoboza is one of the most dynamic emerging artists in the African art scene.
Painting the fears inside us all: A conversation with Syrian artist Rashwan Abdelbaki
Abdelbaki's art expresses what he sees as the “negative effects of racism, religion, and politics that are all striving to divide us and destroy our faith in humanity.”
