Mani Saemi (Iranian-Swedish, b. 1987) is a painter, illustrator and designer whose work spans painting, illustration, graphic design and fashion design. Born into an artistic family in Tehran, Iran, he studied visual communication and graphic design before moving to Sweden in 2011 to study fashion and leather design at Steneby Academy of Design and Crafts.
His paintings are ambiguous and multi-faced, shifting perspective as they explore the fluidity of gender and cultural heritage, with East and West influences intertwined. He has described his approach as painting “freely like a child, vibrant, optimistic and courageous”, away from repetition and dependence. He has put together more than thirty exhibitions around the world, including in Portugal, Italy, Sweden, Iran, England and the United States. In 2019 he was selected by the jury for the Art Box at “Project Miami 2.0” during Art Basel Miami's Art Week. He is based in London.
