Taslim Samji is a Canadian interdisciplinary artist, writer and curator based in

Burnaby Burnaby is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada. Located in the centre of the Burrard Peninsula, it neighbours the City of Vancouver to the west, the District of North Vancouver across the confluence of the Burrard In ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

Life and education

Born in

Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...

, Taslim Samji immigrated to Canada at a young age and now lives and works in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. She was educated at the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a Public university, public research university with campuses near University of British Columbia Vancouver, Vancouver and University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, in British Columbia, Canada ...

(Bachelor of Arts, Asian Studies),

British Columbia Institute of Technology The British Columbia Institute of Technology (also referred to as BCIT), is a public polytechnic institute in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. The technical institute has five campuses located in the Metro Vancouver region, with its main cam ...

(marketing diploma) and

Emily Carr University of Art and Design The Emily Carr University of Art and Design (stylized as Emily Carr University of Art + Design and abbreviated as ECU) is a public university of art school, art and design located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Founded in 1925 as the Van ...

(Fine Arts Certificate program).

Exhibitions

As an artist, Samji has participated in exhibitions, including ''Change – Contemporary Ismaili Muslim Art'', held at the

Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...

Art Gallery in 2014 and Kaleidoscope Fest in 2016. As a curator, she is known for bridging cultural barriers among Ismaili Muslims and highlighting the work of women artists. Samji curated ''Discovery: A Slice of Diversity'' at the Deer Lake Gallery (Burnaby Arts Council) in 2014, featuring the work of Canadian Ismaili Muslim artists with origins in East Africa. In November-December 2015, she curated ''Odyssey: Past Meets Present'' at the Roundhouse Community Arts and Recreation Centre in the

Yaletown Yaletown is an area of Downtown Vancouver, Canada, bordered by False Creek and Robson and Homer Streets. Formerly a heavy industrial area dominated by warehouses and rail yards, since the Expo 86, 1986 World's Fair it has been transformed into on ...

neighbourhood of

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

, in which 15 artists with geographically diverse backgrounds were invited to contribute artworks exploring how their past experiences influence their current work. The exhibition ''"Commonality"'' which was held at the Newton Cultural Centre in January 2016, illustrated the common ground among nine female Ismaili Muslim artists from East Africa, India and Pakistan."Ismaili Muslim women's art exhibit in Surrey celebrates diversity"
''CBC News'', Jan 17, 2016

Writing reference

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Samji, Taslim Living people Artists from British Columbia Canadian women artists Canadian contemporary artists Canadian Ismailis Tanzanian emigrants to Canada People from Burnaby Canadian people of Gujarati descent Year of birth missing (living people)