Every Monday night, the UB Department of Art invites artists, critics and historians to its Visiting Speaker Series event held in the Center for the Arts (CFA). This week, Somali-Canadian artist and UB assistant professor Abdi Osman took the stage.
Osman is a multidisciplinary artist who specializes in creating artwork that focuses on the complexities of being Black, queer and Muslim. His talk showcased several of his exhibits at various art galleries and museums across the country and in Canada.
His photographs and watercolor paintings capture the intersectionality of his identities, especially as they pertain to how black queerness presents itself, and what exploring black queerness means to him.
“It is important for me to note that my work is not fundamentally concerned with or even finding affinity with white western sexuality,” Osman said.
Osman’s imaginative view allows him to create a wide variety of works. In some aspects of Osman’s work, he focuses on social issues and heavy topics that can be difficult for people to discuss or think about.
Towards the end of the talk, Osman took questions and comments. One question asked about his ability to switch from creating artworks that deal with heavy topics to pieces that are more lighthearted.
He explained that it is important for an artist to create work about something they feel compassionate about, but it is equally as important to create art for the sake of escapism.
UB’s Visiting Speaker Series takes place every Monday in CFA 112 at 6:30 p.m., and is free and open to the public.
The arts desk can be reached at arts@ubspectrum.com
