Osman Yousefzada ( ur, عثمان یوسفزاده) is a British interdisciplinary artist, writer and social activist. He launched his eponymous label Osman in 2008, and expanded his practice into a visual art space since 2013, with a 'zine' called The Collective - a cross disciplinary publication of themed conversations, between writers, artists, and curators, including, Milovan Farronato,

Hans Ulrich Obrist Hans Ulrich Obrist (born 1968) is a Swiss art curator, critic, and historian of art. He is artistic director at the Serpentine Galleries, London. Obrist is the author of ''The Interview Project'', an extensive ongoing project of interviews. He is ...

, Nicola Lees, Celia Hempton, Anthea Hamilton, Prem Singh and others. Osman has shown internationally at various institutions, from the

Whitechapel Gallery The Whitechapel Gallery is a public art gallery in Whitechapel on the north side of Whitechapel High Street, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The original building, designed by Charles Harrison Townsend, opened in 1901 as one of the fir ...

, V&A,

Dhaka Art Summit Dhaka Art Summit is an art summit held in Dhaka, Bangladesh and is organised by Samdani Art Foundation, a non- profit art infrastructure development organisation founded by Nadia Samdani. and Rajeeb Samdani in 2011. About The summit displays ...

, Lahore Biennale,

Lahore Museum The Lahore Museum ( pa, ; ur, ; ''"Lahore Wonder House"'') is a museum located in Lahore, Pakistan. Founded in 1865 at a smaller location and opened in 1894 at its current location on The Mall in Lahore during the British colonial period, La ...

Cincinnati Art Museum The Cincinnati Art Museum is an art museum in the Eden Park neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1881, it was the first purpose-built art museum west of the Alleghenies, and is one of the oldest in the United States. Its collection of ov ...

, Ringling  Museum, Florida, Almaty Museum and solo a
the Ikon Gallery
in 2018.

Early life

Yousefzada was born in 1977 to an artisanal Sunni Muslim

Pashtun Pashtuns (, , ; ps, پښتانه, ), also known as Pakhtuns or Pathans, are an Iranian ethnic group who are native to the geographic region of Pashtunistan in the present-day countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan. They were historically re ...

family in

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...

. His Pakistani father was a carpenter, while his mother of Afghan heritage was a tailor running a dress-making business. He grew up in

Balsall Heath Balsall Heath is an inner-city area of Birmingham, West Midlands, England. It has a diverse cultural mix of people and is the location of the Balti Triangle. History Balsall Heath was agricultural land between Moseley village and the city of ...

, to parents who were unable to read or write in English or their mother tongue. Yousefzada studied anthropology at the

SOAS University of London SOAS University of London (; the School of Oriental and African Studies) is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the federal University of London. Founded in 1916, SOAS is located in the Bloomsbury a ...

and later did a fashion course at

Central Saint Martins Central Saint Martins is a public tertiary art school in London, England. It is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London. It offers full-time courses at foundation, undergraduate and postgraduate levels, and a variety of shor ...

. He also received an MPhil from

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III of England, Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world' ...

Career

Research

Besides being an artist, Osman is working as a research practitioner at the Royal College of Art and is a visiting fellow at Jesus College, Cambridge.

Publications

Osman has written on various themes of Race, Labour and marginalised communities. In 2022 he published an memoir, called 'The Go Between'. The memoir gives an insight about growing up in the 80's in Birmingham, in a closed Pakistani migrant community. The book has received critical acclaim.

Stephen Fry Stephen John Fry (born 24 August 1957) is an English actor, broadcaster, comedian, director and writer. He first came to prominence in the 1980s as one half of the comic double act Fry and Laurie, alongside Hugh Laurie, with the two starring ...

reviewed it as 'One of the greatest childhood memoirs of our time'.

Hanif Kureishi Hanif Kureishi (born 5 December 1954) is a British playwright, screenwriter, filmmaker and novelist of South Asian and English descent. In 2008, ''The Times'' included Kureishi in its list of the 50 greatest British writers since 1945. Early l ...

has said that it was 'Poetic and moving' and

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

reviewed it as magic behind closed doors. The memoir was longlisted for the Polari First Book Prize in 2022 and won the Slightly Foxed prize in 2023.

Visual art

Yousefzada's first solo exhibition, "Being Somewhere Else", was at the critically acclaimed contemporary art space Ikon Gallery in 2018. The exhibition was made to demonstrate the inequalities in the contemporary fashion world, as well as exploring marginalised voices and experiences within migration. Yousefzada created a

short film A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...

named ''Her Dreams are Bigger'' about garment workers in Bangladesh which was shown at the Whitechapel Gallery in London.

Fashion

Yousefzada launched his eponymous label, Osman, in 2008. He earned a reputation at London's fashion weeks that year mostly by the black dresses he designed, which prompted the U.S. ''

Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine ** ''Vogue China'', ...

'' magazine to call him the "re-inventor of the Little Black Dress". Within a few years of launching his label, Yousefzada had become a "fashion powerhouse". Some of his famous clients include Beyoncé,

Emily Blunt Emily Olivia Leah Blunt (born 23 February 1983) is a British actress. She is the recipient of several accolades, including a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award, in addition to nominations for three British Academy Film Awar ...

and

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...

. Beyoncé wore an Osman dress at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards. In 2016 he won the Outstanding Achievement in Art & Design at the 6th Asian Awards. He launched his first solo exhibition at the

Ikon Gallery The Ikon Gallery () is an English gallery of contemporary art, located in Brindleyplace, Birmingham. It is housed in the Grade II listed, neo-gothic former Oozells Street Board School, designed by John Henry Chamberlain in 1877. Ikon was se ...

in 2018. The exhibition was made to demonstrate the inequalities in the contemporary fashion world, as well as experiences with migration. In 2019, Yousefzada opened up a temporary space in London's

Floral Street Floral Street is a narrow street in the Covent Garden area of London, England. It runs east from Garrick Street to Bow Street and contains a number of fashion stores, including Paul Smith. The Upper School of the Royal Ballet School is located ...

which he named House of Osman. Nowadays Yousefzada is focusing more on visual & performative art.

''Style''

Yousefzada has claimed that his Asian heritage inspired some of his cuts and that many of his works are done in Pakistan and India. Recently for a capsule collection for fall 2022, Yousefzada made designs to celebrate South Asian identity, using fabrics and inspirations from India, Pakistan and

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

. Some of his designs have also had inspirations from

Maasai Maasai may refer to: * Maasai people *Maasai language * Maasai mythology * MAASAI (band) See also * Masai (disambiguation) * Massai Massai (also known as: Masai, Massey, Massi, Mah–sii, Massa, Wasse, Wassil or by the nickname "Big Foot" Mas ...

tribes and Ancient Greece.

Exhibitions

Solo Exhibitions

2023

''Rituals & Spells'', Cromwell Place, London

2022

''What is Seen & What is Not,'' Victoria & Albert Museum, London

2018

''Being Somewhere Else,'' Ikon Gallery, Birmingham

Group Exhibitions

2023

''Life is more important than Art,'' White Chapel Gallery'','' London ''One that Includes Myth,'' Goodman Gallery, London ''Ventilator,'' Installation'',''

Royal College of Art The Royal College of Art (RCA) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom, with campuses in South Kensington, Battersea and White City. It is the only entirely postgraduate art and design university in the United Kingdom. It o ...

, London ''Alea Iacta Est'', Vistamare, Milan (Italy)

2022

''Spaces of Transcendence'', Sufi & Trans-gender rituals (New Commission), Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, Sydney ''Glasstress'', Berengo Fondazione, Venice

2020

'''Her Dreams are Bigger', Radical Figures: Painting in the New Millennium'', Whitechapel Gallery, London ''Malevich Symposium: The Power of Sound'' 180 Strand, London ''A Rich Tapestry: Curated by Jonathan Watkins & Ayesha Khalid'', new commission for ‘Huis-Clos (No Exit)’ Lahore Biennale, Lahore (Pakistan) ''Between the Sun and the Moon,'' Lahore Biennale, Lahore (Pakistan)

2019

''Nightfall'', Mendes Wood DM, Brussels (Belgium)

2018

''Volcano Extravaganza'', Fiorucci Art Trust, Stromboli (Italy) ''Total Anastrophes'', Dhaka Art Summit, Dhaka (Bangladesh) ''The Fabric of India (''toured by V&A museum), Cincinnati Art Museum, Ohio (United States)

2017

''The Fabric of India'', Ringling  Museum, Florida (United States)

2013

''The Wedding Dresses 1775-2014'', V&A Museum, London

2011 - 2012

''Reconstruction, British Council,'' Lahore Museum in Lahore. Central State Museum, Almaty. Georgian National Museum, Tbilisi. Style.uz, Tashkent. Bangladesh National Museum, Dhaka

2008

''Design of the Year Awards'', Design Museum, London

2005

''Jerwood: Fashion, Film and Fiction'', The Wapping Project, London

Public Art Installation

2021

''Infinity Pattern 1,'' Ikon Gallery & Selfridges Birmingham In 2020, Yousefzada created an installation putting the conversation of Migration into the heart of the city - titled Infinity Pattern 1. It is the largest public art canvas which was installed as a temporary hoarding facade at the

Selfridges Selfridges, also known as Selfridges & Co., is a chain of high-end department stores in the United Kingdom that is operated by Selfridges Retail Limited, part of the Selfridges Group of department stores. It was founded by Harry Gordon Selfridg ...

site in Birmingham. It remained until the end of

2022 Commonwealth Games The 2022 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XXII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Birmingham 2022, was an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth of Nations that took place in Birmingham, England bet ...

. This was Yousefzada's first work of public art.

Publications/ Monographs

*
The Go Between
A memoir through the eyes of a child growing up in a closed migrant community'', Canongate London, 2022, ISBN 9781786893529

V&A catalogue on Osman Yousefzada solo show *
Being Somewhere Else
', Ikon Gallery Catalogue on Osman Yousefzada solo show

References

External links

Official Website of Osman London

Financial Times – A Migrants Tale Laid Bare

Studio International – Opening Doors for others people is key to what I do

Sculpture Magazine – Looking back to go forward

Another Magazine – A powerful new exhibition explores the migrant experience

Guardian - It can't be ignored: Osman Yousefzada on his gigantic artwork

Guardian - Nothing prepares you for the moment

British Vogue - How Coronavirus has devastated his BAME community

Guardian Observer Magazine , Coalitions & Solidarity
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yousefzada, Osman Clothing brands of the United Kingdom English businesspeople in fashion English fashion designers Artists from Birmingham, West Midlands British people of Afghan descent British people of Pakistani descent British contemporary artists Pashtun artists 1974 births Living people