Our artist of the month is Shorsh Saleh, a Kurdish mixed media artist, carpet designer and weaver. His works focus on the subject of migration, border and identity. Based in the UK, he has exhibited both nationally and internationally.
Saleh studied MA Traditional Arts at The Prince’s Foundation, School of Traditional Arts, London, where he has been teaching carpet weaving since 2015. His works are held in The Royal Collection Trust, The Prince's Foundation, British Museum, Bagri Foundation and The Islamic Art Museum, Malaysia.
This is one of Saleh’s miniature paintings. It is taken from a project that was part of the exhibition Refugees: Forced to Flee at the Imperial War Museum, London, 2020- 2021. The project also included two handwoven carpets based on his journey from Iraqi Kurdistan to the UK. He writes that the works relate to the process of leaving his homeland, the 2 years of travelling across borders illegally and the 8 years of waiting for asylum in the UK.
Prints are available through his website: https://www.shorshsaleh.com/gallary
There is still time to apply to be our next Artist of the Month! If you sell your own socially engaged work online, you can apply here.
