By Jason Keil
Safwat Saleem isn’t sure what he has to do to earn the title of artist.
“I call myself a graphic designer without hesitation because I am confident about my work,” he says. “I can get away with being a graphic designer who sometimes makes art as opposed to being an artist.”
But the TED Senior Fellow’s feelings on choosing a creative label (he’s also an animator and director) are less complicated than his reaction the 2016 presidential election. The Pakistani-American says he felt worried, helpless, and disheartened over what was taking place. He created art to cope.
“Art is nothing at all, but it’s all I can do right now,” he says.
Saleem’s exhibition “Concerned But Powerless” combines found imagery from vintage advertisements, Urdu typography, and acerbic phrases to create a distinctive and satirical work that touches on the social issues magnified by the election of Donald Trump.
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Read the full article in the Phoenix New Times