Omar Imam

Visual Artist

Omar Imam (Damascus, 1979) is an Amsterdam-based, visual artist, and Rijksakademie alumni.
In his sculptures, short films, and photographic works, Imam uses irony and a conceptual approach to respond to war, its consequences and causes.
Imam’s photographs vacillate between mundane documents and utterly inconceivable dreams. His project "Live, Love, Refugee" has been shown in 16 countries around the world.
Omar is represented by Catherine Edelman Gallery

Award
"Tim Hetherington" Visionary Award 2017

Fellowship
open society foundation (2019)
                                   

Main Exhibitions 
2019
Stateless.   Museum of Contemporary Photography (MoCP) . Chicago
Chobi Mela. Dhaka, Bangladesh
The Shortest Distance Between Us. Dubai
Photoville . New York
Rijksakademie open studio. Amsterdam
Orde en chaos. Amersfoort
CBK. Amsterdam
Edelman gallery. Chicago
La Biennale des photographes du monde arabe contemporain. Paris
Art Miami
L’Institut du Monde Arabe présente la troisième Biennale des photographes du monde arabe contemporain du 11 septembre 2019 au 24 novembre 2019.

 
 
2018
Hope. Arles, France
Rijksakademie open studio. Amsterdam
Margin and Center, For Foreedoms.  Houston
Refest 2.0 . New York
AIPAD show18. New York    
Photo London
Another Way Home, Open Society. New York
When does a place become home? St. Ann's Warehouse. New York
2017
Arte Fiera, Bologna, Italy
Detours. The Nobel Peace Center, Oslo
AIPAD show 17. New York
Proyecta Madrid
Art New York 2017
Call And Response. New York
Targeted. CEG, Chicago
2016
Al- Rahme refugee camp. Bekaa, Lebanon.
Tbilisi Photo Festival, Tbilisi, Georgia
If I Leave, Where Will I Go?. East Wing, Dubai
In Between/In Transi. Galleri Image, Aarhu, Denmark
Live, Love, Limbo. Aria Art Gallery, Florence
Mois de la photo. Auxerre, FranceLive, Love, Refugee. UN World Humanitarian Summit, Istanbul
When Home Won’t Let You Sta. Angewandte, Vienna
Making a Scene.  Light Field, New York
Live, Love, Refugee.  Festival Internazionale, Ferrara, Itlay
Not Here Yet.  H2, Augsburg, Germany
2015
Memory For Forgetfulness. ATHR Art Gallery, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Return of the Soul. Prince Claus Fund, Amsterdam
Live, Love, Limbo. Photoville, New York


In “Live, Love, Refugee” Omar dissolves the recurrent representation of Syrian refugees by replacing numbers, reports, and statistics with hallucinations, fears, and dreams. He asks them to recreate their dreams: dreams of escape dreams of emasculation, and dreams of love and terror.  Sparse and surrealistic, the resulting images evoke the deepest and darkest inner worlds of those persisting every day with their roots stretching further from a home left behind.
Nederlands:
In “Live, Love, Refugee” verbreekt Imam de terugkerende representatie van Syrische vluchtelingen door nummers, rapporten en statistieken te vervangen door door hallucinaties, angsten en dromen. Hij vraagt hen om hun dromen opnieuw vorm te geven: dromen over ontsnapping, dromen over verzwakking, en dromen over liefde en terreur. Ijl en surrealistisch, leggen de beelden de diepste en donkerste binnenwerelden bloot van zij die elke dag doorzetten, hun wortels steeds verder uitrekkend naar een achtergelaten thuis.