Amir Khadar (They/Them) is a Sierra Leonean-American multidisciplinary artist, illustrator, and designer from Minneapolis, MN, currently living nomadically. Their practice explores ancestry, mythology, justice, imagination, and dreaming through the lens of Black diasporic and Indigenous traditions. Working across drawing, digital art, textiles, beadwork, sculpture, and design, Amir builds pre/post-colonial worlds where ritual, ancestral knowledge, and collective care prevail over imperialist and carceral logics.

They received their B.A. in Black Studies from Swarthmore College and briefly studied at the Maryland Institute College of Art. Amir’s work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, including at the Oakland Museum of California, the Anacostia Community Museum, Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens, and the London School of Economics. They have been awarded residencies such as the Wassaic Project, the Queer Materials Lab at Tyler School of Art, and the Digital Weaving Lab at Praxis Fiber Workshop.

Amir’s illustration and design practice has supported social change movements focused on decolonization, decarceration, and environmental justice, with clients including the Movement for Black Lives, the Women’s March, ACLU chapters, Initiative Sankofa Afrique de l’Ouest, and Forward Together. Their work has been recognized with grants such as the Leeway Foundation Transformation Award, the Creative Wildfire Grant, and the Adobe Community Fund.

Photo by V. Hadad