Memorabilia 037: Tahir Karmali x Frieze NY

Tahir Karmali is a multidisciplinary artist, but before that he was an immigrant, and his work is deeply influenced by the complexity of displacement and the fragility of walls. For Frieze New York, Karmali references martyrdom and the eroticized imagery of Saint Sebastian, blurring the lines between suffering and sensuality. What emerges is an exploration of vulnerability and resilience, told through fragments of walls that hold more than just structure—they hold feeling, memory, and meaning. In a Conversation with the artist, he tells us about his inspirations, his practice and the romantic yet political meaning behind each installation.