Waseem Touma was born and raised in Sydney, Australia. During his study in Sydney, he was granted an Asia/Pacific traveling scholarship to study at the Kansas City Art Institute (KCAI), in a student exchange program. During this time, he was awarded a $10,000 scholarship from Kansas City Art Institute in order to transfer, and graduate from KCAI. After receiving his Bachelor of Fine Arts from KCAI, in 2002, he was offered a one-year assistantship in the KCAI Ceramics Department. In 2003, Waseem arrived at the University of Kentucky as a M.F.A. candidate. During his stay in Lexington, Waseem has exhibited at a number of galleries including the Downtown Arts Center: Windows Project in 2004/2005, and the UK Department of Art OPEN STUDIO Carey Ellis Juried Exhibition, where he placed first in 2003 and 2005. He was the president of the Art Graduate Student Association, (AGSA) which sponsors the OPEN STUDIO event.
Waseem held a Teaching Assistant position as a ceramics instructor in the ceramics program at the University of Kentucky for two years. He also is involved in teaching at the Living Arts and Science Center, where he instructs ceramics and drawing classes during the Summer Sessions. Waseem has also been involved in the ‘artist residency program’ at the University of Kentucky, Martin Luther King Jr. Cultural Center, where he worked with fellow students in drawing exercises, exhibitions, and lectures.
With an Arabic heritage, Waseem was simultaneously raised in two cultures, learning about history and tradition within his household, while growing up in Sydney. Cultural identity was always an issue within such an environment, and it has become an integral voice in Waseem’s artwork. His focus is on what we have in common, rather than what makes us different, with issues exploring the core of creation and existence itself in imaginary possibilities.
During his undergraduate studies, Waseem focused on sculptural ceramics and drawing. He researched extinct and endangered flora in order to replicate them in clay, giving the subject matter an ideological immortality with his imaginary futuristic spin. His art then moved on to designing architectural sculptures and cities, based on a variety of one-cell organisms.
His current show, ‘Possibilities’ captured the essence of Waseem’s artistic statement by finding the source of all his work, that is the complexity, fragility, and visual beauty of life in any shape, size, or form along a moment in time. The exhibition is installed as an interactive experience with sound and light, rather than the traditional display of art objects. Audiences are sure to experience a visual aesthetic that will stimulate the senses and imaginations of any participant when viewing his installations.
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