About Sarmed
Sarmed Mirza is British-Asian multi-disciplinary artist and BAFTA Scotland New Talent award nominated filmmaker.
Not formally trained at an art school he comes very much from ‘outside the box’ and started drawing in middle life in 2018. A voracious reader as a child, his love affair with creativity began early as he started writing and getting published from the age of 11.
A deeply transformative experience through his meditation practice led him to pursue drawing to deepen his observation skills which led to his highly detailed portraits being included in the Scottish Portrait Awards and the Scottish Fine Art Prize exhibition.
Working with various institutions, he has conducted art and meditation workshops and has created several short documentaries on violence against women, equal pay, climate change, racism and social justice.
His BAFTA Scotland New Talent-nominated feature film 'An Act of Terror' delved into themes of social injustice, identity and displacement.
He is interested in the notion of seeing and his meditation and art practice focuses on exploring this inner and outer connection through creative expression.
His work is expressive, often blurring the lines between realism and the abstract, and is emotionally engaged, evincing states of being that are conceived from real-life memories or dreams and sparking a sense of wonder.
Travel ignites his inspiration, weaving elements of the places he’s explored and the memories he’s gathered into the fabric of his work.
Realism to abstraction
Soon after while viewing a painting by Georges Braque in MoMA, he experienced, in his words “an epiphany, a transference, what seemed like someone reaching out through a transdimensional portal of collective consciousness and pulling me in. I was awash with feelings of nostalgia and homesickness from another lifetime, a déjà vu of sorts. As a young boy I had similar experiences which I had explored through creative writing. But from that day onward it was to be through art.”
Impelled by this synaesthetic encounter his creative expression transmuted from realism to abstraction.
Sources of his inspiration are eclectic, be it films, books, music cross country flying sailplane gliders but above all, nurtured by his meditative explorations there is a profound connection with the natural world.
His work is expressive, often abstract, and is emotionally engaged, evincing states of being that are conceived from real-life memories or dreams and sparking a sense of wonder.
Playful curiosity and experimentation are the cornerstones of Sarmed’s art practice. In life as in his art he is joyfully infectious. He and his work “raise our vibration”, help us connect to and celebrate our human condition.
Original reproductions
Dedicated to technical evolution and excellence, his use of paint and then developmental processes in photography deconstruct traditional ideas of ‘the original’ and ‘the reproduction’.
The beauty of colour and pattern emerges through a captivating interplay of process, happenstance, and technique. Meticulously crafted through a series of iterations, incorporating unique stencils and elements sourced from nature, only a select few panels endure after countless discarded attempts.
crafting worlds within without
Conjuring with scale, impasto paint layers, and photography, Sarmed crafts vibrant and surreal environments. In a daring experimentation with oil paint textures and mixtures, he delves into a realm of discovery within his small-scale works. Enigmatic patterns, concealed until magnified, unveil a hidden world – there is always more than meets the eye.
From this exploration of impermanence and flux, Sarmed's work takes shape, evoking a sense of urgency and surface chaos. Yet within this dynamic interplay, a serene tranquillity gradually unfurls within the viewer.
He currently is based in Scotland.
Awards & exhibitions
Awards
Murree Man Finalist in Scottish Portrait Awards 2022
Portrait of K finalist in Scottish Prize for Fine Art 2023
Nominated for BAFTA Scotland New Talent Award for feature film 'An act of terror' 2009
Membership
Paisley Art Institute (Artist member)
Exhibitions
Gallery of Modern Art
'Our Power' - Delivered 3 drawing and haiku workshops on Racial Microaggressions. Art by participants and video created by Sarmed installed in GoMA. Facilitated by Mental Health Foundation. 2024.
Kelvingrove Museum
Short film installed and screened as part of 'Boxes of hope' exhibition facilitated by Mental Health Foundation. 2024
'Leaves in love' Charity Auction 2024 Century 21 Glasgow
Scottish Prize for Fine Art Exhibition 2023 (Glasgow Art Club)
Members Spring Exhibition 2023 (Scottish Arts Club)
Small works exhibition 2023 (Glasgow Art Club)
Murree Man in Scottish Portrait Awards travelling exhibition - Edinburgh Arts Club 2022, Duff House Banff 2022, Glasgow Arts Club 2023
Voice over for exhibits in the Burrell Collection, Glasgow 2022
Winter exhibition 2022 (Glasgow Art Club)
Art of the possible 29th Oct to 4th Dec 2021 (Glasgow Art Club)
Glasgow Art Club Members Winter Exhibition 2021 (Glasgow Art Club)
Reflections of a changing world 15th Sep to 22nd Oct 2021 (Glasgow Art Club)
Members & Friends Summer Exhibition 2021 (Glasgow Art Club)
Dubai Art Fair 2019
Dancing Brushes, Prince George, BC, Canada 2018-2019
