
Safwat Saleem
Artist, graphic designer, filmmaker
Safwat Saleem uses satire and art to bring to light stories of adversity.
Why you should listen
Safwat Saleem is a Pakistani-American visual artist, graphic designer and filmmaker. He's best known for making politically-charged satirical art. Safwat's artwork has used a variety of media, including illustration, writing, animation, audio, film and sculpture. He often combines several media to create multimedia storytelling experiences that get his audiences talking -- and laughing -- about subjects that tend to otherwise make people feel uncomfortable. Saleem is also the founder of Bandbaja, a Pakistani music magazine that promoted the use of modern popular music as a socio-political tool.
Saleem has a penchant for doing voiceovers in his films for all kinds of silly characters like a bear, sheep, greeting card and a whale to name a few. His work is shown regularly in galleries around the U.S. and has been featured in publications such as Wired, BoingBoing and Brainpickings. Safwat is a TED Senior Fellow and he likes pizza (like, a lot).
Safwat Saleem’s TED Talk
More news and ideas from Safwat Saleem
Arts + Design
Gallery: Can politics make great art? Meet 12 young artists who say yes
January 18, 2017
Will the societal shocks of 2016 lead to a bumper crop of art in 2017 and beyond? These TED Fellows aim to channel the energy of activism into creative work that can change hearts and minds.
Continue readingNews
Give me your fussy, your bored, your hard to buy for: the TED Fellows gift guide
December 17, 2013
Still hurting for gift ideas? Never fear. The inventive and iconoclastic TED Fellows are coming to the rescue with the recent fruit of their labors. These inspired and unusual items — from Chinese-inflected banjo music to a remote-controlled underwater vehicle — are sure to delight your loved ones. Just be gentle stuffing that all-terrain vehicle […]
Continue readingEntertainment
Your mega summer reading list: 200 books recommended by TEDsters
May 31, 2013
Books can entertain, sucking you like a tornado into incredible new worlds. Books can teach, giving you a richer understanding of time periods, people and ideas you’ve never been exposed to. But books can do so much more. In today’s talk, TED’s own Lisa Bu introduces us to the concept of “comparative reading,” the practice […]
Continue reading
