Samia Malik

Biography

I am an artist, designer and educator whose creative, educational and research practices are embedded in pedagogies of social justice, inclusivity, anti-racism and anti-colonialism – beyond theory to active resistance and applied practices. My work explores the intersections of art, fashion, politics and social justice, examining how creative practices can challenge dominant ideologies, expose structural inequalities, contribute to wider political and cultural discourse.

Within my educational pedagogic practice, I also confront neoliberalism that weaponises ‘decolonial’ practices, practices which are often far removed from the decolonisation Frantz Fanon described. Instead of challenging white supremacy, these institutional versions are co-opted to reproduce institutional racist structural re-exclusion, more violence and hierarchies, even while performatively claiming anti-racist aims. That co-optation creates a violent opportunistic driven environment for black and brown people – competing against colonial institutional tokenism, that repackages colonial conditioning, assimilation rather than dismantling and changing it.



I currently work at the University of the Arts London (UAL) as an Associate Lecturer, delivering workshops that I have designed and developed under the title Art, Fashion, Politics and Anti-Colonialism. My teaching brings together critical perspectives on art, fashion, politics and anti-colonialism, encouraging students to examine the historical and current relationships between creative practice, power, intersectionality, identity and representation.



I am also the founder and director of the Women of Colour Index Reading Group, making visible artwork by black and brown female artists from the 1980s and early 1990s. WOCI Reading Group aims to make visible histories of black and brown female, addressing historical omissions within dominant art histories. Creating crtical discourses about colonial institutional customs and etymology, governmental constitution for black and brown artists artwork being erased.



I have recently returned to developing my independent design label, Samia Malik OADC, with a renewed focus on sustainability, artisanal production and creative expression. The label centres on garments made using organic materials and sustainable methods, incorporating artisanal techniques, garment recycling and upcycling. The label works with stockists in the UK and sells internationally online.