Neem Sarkez is a Designhead
A design object you can’t stand the sight of: The graphic design of romance book covers.
Designheads is a profile series featuring members of our community and their relationship to the world of design.
What does it mean to shake up the design world? It’s a question we’re constantly thinking about, which leads us down a wiry path of other questions… like what it means for a design to be “functional” and whether it should serve a deeper purpose.
At a time when so much of what we consume is ephemeral, perhaps it does matter for design to signify something. And what better way to know than to hone in on those in our community making us think more broadly about the importance of context and personal relationship to an object?
This week’s designhead, Neem Sarkez, is an interdisciplinary artist whose work explores the interconnectedness of personhood, place, and identity, evoking feelings of home — a concept different for everyone. She weaves her experience of growing up as a first-generation American with cultural remnants from her Libyan heritage — from soccer references to the many Arab singers that have influenced her creative practice.
Her art calls us to slow down and think about what we’re looking at, disrupting the culture of immediacy that pervades everyday life. She’s also a Taurus, which, of course, we love.
Name: Neem Sarkez
Age: 21
Location: New York City, USA
Zodiac Sign: Taurus
Instagram handle: @min3youni
Website: https://tasneemsarkez.com/
Are you a designhead? What does that mean to you? Yeah, I’d say so. I’m more of a designer in the artistic/tech sense when it comes to sculptures, visuals of paintings, and graphic design. I think being a designer means having an eye for the everyday and orienting your work/lifestyle in response.
The last thing you made: A photo transfer of Nancy Ajram on a light switch plate
The next thing you want to make: A laser-etched domino set
A design object you love: Soccer Jerseys
A design object you can’t stand the sight of: The graphic design of romance book covers
A moment of pure creative joy: When I’m alone sitting with a notebook. Sitting outside somewhere, or in the studio.
What does it mean to "design the future"? Operationalizing culture into art and the functionality of it.
Words to live by: The Creative Process by James Baldwin. An essay from 1962.
Your aesthetic embodied as a …
song: Ouda - Hamid Al Shaeri
texture: Beaten-up soccer ball
meme or tweet: The guy that flashes a peace sign and disappears
scent: Roses
What's one design object that has your same energy? The graphic design of my Arab cassette tape collection, most from the 80s/90s.
If you could show your work to anyone in the world, it would be: Ghada Amer
What’s next for you? Working on another book, more art shows, projects at anonymous gallery, and keeping busy with friends and the art world.