Faheem Majeed:
Unite
February 8 - April 7, 2018
A resident of the South Shore neighborhood in Chicago, Majeed sees himself as a builder—literally and metaphorically often looking to the material makeup of his neighborhood and surrounding areas as an entry point into larger questions around civic-mindedness, community activism, and institutional racism.
In his artist statement Majeed states, “I have always been drawn to odd, broken or marginalized things…that translate to objects, places and people. I think I’m drawn to these kinds of things because of a bottomless curiosity…not necessarily to tear things apart to see how they work, but to understand connections, motivations, and ultimately outcomes. My perspective on the work I create and the role I play has evolved over time. In shifting roles from independent working artist to curator to non-profit director to teacher to administrator, I have grown to understand the difference between creating an object and creating a platform. I now view my work well beyond object making. It is an approach much more grounded in considering the impact and developing the object that plays its part in a larger scheme of change.”
Currently, Majeed is a full-time, practicing artist and creates work in his South Shore studio. As part of his studio practice, he transforms materials such as particle board, scrap metal and wood, and discarded signs and billboard remnants, breathing new life into these often overlooked and devalued materials. His broader engagement with the arts also involves arts administration, curation, and community facilitation, all which feed into his larger practice.
