OMAR KAZI ZAFAR

Lives and works in Athens, Greece

Artist statement

Bridging Boundaries: Transcendence, Innovation, and Dialogue Through Abstraction As a Greek-Bangladeshi artist profoundly influenced by the audacious concepts of 'high art' I encountered during my formative years living in 1990s New York, I developed an artistic approach that explores the conceptual boundaries of painting—metaphorically linking these distinctive techniques to bridging cultural divides and inspiring renewed cross-cultural understanding. Reimagining painting beyond the constraints of historical and contemporary expectations, I delve into the core foundations of painting, dismantling established conventions to expand its visual language. Through abstraction, I employ a heuristic approach akin to scientific exploration, transcending conventional paradigms with interactivity, colorlessness, and surface-less forms. Rooted in my multicultural background, I embrace an eclectic style that transforms painting from passive observation into a dynamic dialogue, making the viewer’s participation integral to the artwork's evolution. Working with transparent pigment-free mediums, I developed a technique where these mediums form its own structure, thus, introducing 'colorlessness' to painting. The interplay of translucent layers, voids, and negative spaces creates a sensory experience that explores light, texture, and emptiness. Metaphorically, this 'colorlessness' reflects the de-colorization of race and the permeability of our interconnected world, both serving as visual...

Artwork