Saif Chilmiran
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Saif (Safe) B. Chilmiran was born in Abu Dhabi in 1990, a Canadian visual artist of Middle Eastern origin. He started exploring with graffiti in his early teens as a form of an artistic insurrection to express his views in a conservative culture; he sprayed his way into commissioned events hosted by Red Bull, Chevrolet and Mini Cooper amongst others. He saw a void for street art that needed to be filled in the UAE and he began to explore with different mediums as the first street artist in the GCC region.
By 2008, Saif began experimenting with canvas and installations. While attending business school, he was able to transform the discomfort arising from completing his degree into an infinite source of creative motivation. In 2010, Pro Art Gallery, a contemporary art gallery in Dubai, incorporated Saif's art work into their first street art exhibition alongside art works by street art pioneers such as Banksy, Shepard Fairey, Blek Le Rat and Seen. In the two years since his first showing with Pro Art Gallery, Saif’s art work has been featured amongst renowned works in numerous exhibitions; with his first auction hosted by Opera Gallery and Millon’s Auction House.
Inspired by today’s issues worldwide, Saif approaches his art with a humanitarian perspective to highlight Middle Eastern struggles and events often through satire and irony. Saif's inspiration is driven by modern day conflicts, philanthropy, irony and honesty; he creates his own mediums whilst keeping his street origins in perspective.
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