ARTIST STATEMENT
“Through paint, wood, and stone, I seek union with the Unbounded Force which sustains me. My work is a tether extending from beyond both human and non-human worlds.” - Kamran Samimi
Informed by a strong sense of place and his multi-cultural identity (Iranian/Norwegian raised in rural Hawai'i), Kamran Samimi's artistic practice centers on natural and indigenous ephemera —stones, wood, pigment, and land—as conduits to explore the intricate dynamics, tensions, and histories that exist between human and non-human ancestors.
Through this framework, Samimi questions how interconnected histories and diverse cultures examined via the lens of nature might engender moments of equilibrium, compassion and healing in a world marked by oppression, injustice, and widespread devastation. Specifically, Samimi draws inspiration from the direct, experiential focus on Nature also found in Zen Buddhism and Sufi Mysticism. Hence, his approach is both reverent and whimsical, mirroring Nature's gestures: deconstructing and reforming with intention and compassion.
Photo by Joey Trisolini
BIO
Kamran Samimi grew up in rural Laupāhoehoe on Hawaiʻi Island to parents of Iranian and Norwegian ancestry. He has been exhibiting art since 2008, and has had solo exhibitions at The Third Line, Dubai, the Sharjah Art Museum in United Arab Emirates, the Honolulu Museum of Art, and the Shangri La Museum of Islamic Art, Culture & Design. He has also shown at The Andy Warhol museum in Pittsburg, PA, and Tokyo Midtown in Tokyo, Japan, and many other venues around the globe.
Samimi was the recipient of the 2024 Artists of Hawai’i Best In Show Award and holds an BFA in Printmaking and an MFA in Print Media and Sculpture from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.