Statement: My inquiry lies in the many forms of human engagement, finding and telling stories that emerge and evolve with the ever-changing forms of mediums of communications. For me It’s fascinating to live and work through the recent art movements and experience how technology is progressing especially in the past 2 decades. I believe we are going through a major shift across all disciplines and global cultures. Industries are merging and going through digital transformations. We are constantly evolving and exploring new ways to connect and reflect with the concerns of present times. I feel, it’s critical for us to ask new questions, engage, collaborate, experiment and reflect in ways that may shape our present and future.
Bio:
Faisal Anwar is a Hybrid Artist, Curator Karachi Biennial 22, and creative technologist working between Canada and Pakistan. Founder of CultureLab.art, he explores the intersection of art, science, nature, data, investigating pressing concerns on climate change, sustainability, and shifts in new emerging economies. He is also a co-founder of ArtAddress, mentoring and fostering creative ideas and dialogue.
His creative computational thinking, research, and artistic practice branches through interactive installations, immersive environments, data-driven interventions, internet art, HybridNFT, and MetaVerse / Web 3.0.
Anwar’s project CharBagh was presented at the exhibition ‘Garden in the Machine’, at Surrey Art Gallery, Vancouver in 2019 and ‘Sensory Garden’ at the Aga Khan Museum Toronto in 2016. His ongoing investigative project, TweetGarden was presented at the Contact Photography Festival at the Royal Ontario Museum in 2012, Art Gallery of Mississauga in 2014 and the TRED research and education conference, University of Massachusetts Boston 2014. He has shown at several galleries, museums, and festivals worldwide, including the Winter Olympics Vancouver 2010, Nuit-Blanche Festival Toronto 2008 to 2016, and at the First Karachi Biennale 2017.
In 2019 Anwar was awarded the Labverde Residency at the Amazon rain forest to research and work with scientific climate data. In 2013 he was co-awarded the prestigious SSHRC Insight Development grant, for his research project +City. In 2007 his project ‘Into it!’ was selected for the Artist as Innovators Grant in the category for research for kids with multiple disabilities by the CFC Media Lab, Banff Centre and University of Toronto’s Adaptive Technology Lab.
Anwar is a graduate of the Canadian Film Centre’s Habitat-LAB, Interactive Arts Program 2004, and did his bachelor’s in graphic design from the National College of Arts Lahore, Pakistan 1996.