Punk Orientalism: The Art of Rebellion

About Sara Raza

Sara Raza is an award-winning contemporary art curator and writer based in New York City where she founded the curatorial studio Punk Orientalism which specialises in global art and visual cultures mainly from Central and Western Asia and its international diaspora. Currently Sara is the 20212022 awardee of the Red Burns Fellowship by the New York Universitys Interactive Telecommunications Programme and a member of the faculty at the School of Visual Arts for the MA Curatorial Practice Programme. Between 20152018 she was the Guggenheim UBS MAP Curator of Middle Eastern and North African art in New York where she built the collection and organised the acclaimed exhibition But a Storm Is Blowing from Paradise which debuted in the capital in 2016 later travelling to the Galleria dArte Moderna in Milan in 2018. Alongside this Sara has curated numerous other exhibitions for international museums biennials and festivals including the Rubin Museum of Art New York; Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art Doha Qatar; the 55th Venice and Tashkent Biennials; and the 3rd Baku Public Art Festival among others. Sara has also been the Head of Education and Public Programs at YARAT Baku Azerbaijan; Founding Curator at Alaan Art Space Riyadh Saudi Arabia; and Curator of Public Programmes at Tate Modern London. Sara has written for numerous artist monographs books catalogues and publications and is the West and Central Asia Desk Editor for ArtAsiaPacific magazine. In 2016 she was the recipient of the 11th ArtTable New Leadership Award for Women in the Arts and in 2017 was honoured by Deutsche Bank and Apollo as one of 40 under 40 global art specialists. Sara holds a BA (hons) in English Literature and History of Art and an MA in 20th Century Art History and Theory from Goldsmiths College University of London. She also pursued studies towards her PhD at the Royal College of Art London.