Meet the artist
Name: Amir Khadar
Pronouns: They/Them/Theirs
Where are you from and where do you live? I'm from Minneapolis, Minnesota, but I go to school in Baltimore, Maryland. My parents are from Sierra Leone though, so I was raised with that.
What mediums do you typically work with? Why? I started with digital mediums (photoshop, and illustrator mostly) since they are so much more accessible than physical mediums. When I work digitally I don't need paper, paints, markers, a large workspace or anything that could be disposable, I just need the programs. Now in art school, I have space and means to work however I want, so I'm exploring painting and collage a lot, as well as fibers (fabric) based art.
What responsibilities, if any, do you take on as a creator? I think our only job is to tell stories visually, and our responsibility is to do it respectfully. It is the job of the creator to know where you fit in the story, whose narrative it is, and who is involved, what perspectives have been favored historically, etc.. When we skimp on the nuances and details of the story, we normally ignore the narrative that marginalized people are most familiar with, so creators of all formats have to be researchers as well.
I also like to consistently push myself and learn something through every project. As creatives, one of our jobs is to know ourselves.
What do you want your audience to know about you and/or your art? I'm young and don't have a determined career path, so I'm experimenting with every medium and concept that is available to me. Currently, my work is very auto-biographical since I don't feel well equipped to represent the stories and struggles of others when I don't know how to talk about myself. Even though my art practice is selfish (by the Merriam Webster definition), I always create with a community (queer, trans, black youth) in mind. I know I won't have a better life if those who reflect my qualities are struggling, so I will always show them my love.
What are your hopes for the future? My dream is to create or join a self-sustaining collective of marginalized artists and live as distant from capitalist structures as possible. I also want to be a part of a movie or some other type of media that depicts queer femme superheroes of color.
Is there anything else you would like to share? I take commissions!
Website: www.redbubble.com/people/AmirKhadar
Instagram: @amir.khadar