Orna Kazimi is an Afghan illustrator and visual artist based in London. She studied MA Fine Art at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London. Storytelling has always been at the heart of her interdisciplinary practice, which brings together illustration, writing, installation and animation.

Born in Iran to Afghan refugee parents, Orna’s wider artistic practice is shaped by fragmented memories of childhood, migration, trauma and the search for belonging.

She is now developing her practice in children’s illustration, writing and illustrating stories that approach difficult experiences through poetic language and imagery.
 
Her works have been shown at Void Gallery (Northern Ireland),  Unit1 Gallery and Workshop (London), Lethaby Gallery (London), Tate Exchange - Tate Modern (London), Centre de la Gravure - La Louviere, TCNJ Art Gallery (New Jersey), Imago Mundi (Milan), Theca Gallery - Milan, Queen’s Palace (Kabul). She was awarded the Caspian Arts Foundation Scholarship (2016) and completed a master’s degree in Fine Art at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London (2018).

Education
2018       MA Fine Art [Grade: Distinction] - Central Saint Martins -University of the Arts London                                                                                              
Selected Exhibitions     
2022       Twenty Years: The War in Afghanistan - Blacktown Arts Centre - Australia 
2022       Above Us the Milky Way - Void Gallery - Derry - UK 
2022       Death Starts from Toes - Artist Talk -  The Mosaic Rooms - London
2021       Ingram Prize 2021 -  Unit 1 Gallery | Workshop - London 
2021       contact - Kerry Packer Civic Gallery - Adelaide - Australia    
2019       Alter Us Collective Manifesto Declaration Event - Old Bath - London                                                   
2019       The Horse’s Mouth Open Art Crit - The Bomb Factory Art Foundation - London                            
2018       Degree Show, Lethaby Gallery - London
2018       Overpr!nt - Centre de la Gravure - La Louviere         
2018       What Can We Make and Become - Art Exposed Project Gallery - London                                              
2018       Sight and Sound Workshop at Tate Exchange - Tate Modern Gallery - London                                  
2018       Overprint Presentation- Tate Exchange - Tate Modern Gallery - London         
2017       Round-table Discussion on “Art and Activism”- SOAS - London                                                        
2017       Somehow You and I Collide -MA Interim Show- Mangle gallery - London                                         
2015       Map of The New Art - Imago Mundi - Milan                                                                                     
2015       The Collective - Theca Gallery - Milan                                                                                                     
2014       Art Amongst War: Visual Culture in Afghanistan - TCNJ Art Gallery - New Jersey                           
2013       4th Afghan Contemporary Art Prize - Queen’s Palace - Kabul                                                                                                  
2013       Beirut Contemporary Art Fair - Nikki Diana Marquardt Gallery - Paris                                         

Solo Show
2013       Birth - Institute of France in Afghanistan - Kabul

Awards and Commissions
2021      Finalist for Ingram Prize 2021 
2021      Propagate This project - A community based project Commissioned by Turf Projects
2021      The White Pube writers grant funded by Creative Debuts
2019      Internship at TinType Gallery
2016      Winner of the Caspian Arts Foundation scholarship
2014      Shortlisted for 4th Afghan Art Prize