b. 1996; based in Birmingham, UK; he/they
EDUCATION
Falmouth University (2015 – 2018)
BA(Hons) Drawing | Falmouth, UK
First-Class Honours
RESIDENCIES/ARTIST DEVELOPMENT
‘WRITE TO ROAM’ Young Writers Residency (2023)
The GAP Arts Project x Shakespeare Birthplace Trust | Birmingham + Stratford-upon-Avon, UK
Performance Art Laboratory as part of Melati Suryodarmo’s ‘Passionate Pilgrim’ (2023)
Vivid Projects x Ikon Gallery | Birmingham, UK
Vivid Projects Artist Residency (2022 – 2023)
Vivid Projects | Birmingham, UK
Access Rider Residency (2022)
Talking Birds Theatre Company x B.O.O.K | Coventry, UK
Studio Spaces for Black Artists (2021)
Coventry Artspace | Coventry, UK
(Algo|Afro) Futures (2021)
Vivid Projects | Birmingham, UK
BBC Words First (2020)
BBC Radio 1Xtra, BBC Asian Network, and BBC Contains Strong Language, in partnership with Young Identity, Apples and Snakes, and Neu! Reekie! | (online) various, UK
Summer Camp Residency (2019)
Eastside Proects | Birmingham, UK
Supernormal Festival Artist Residency (2019)
Supernormal Festival | Oxfordshire, UK
‘Gallery 37’ Artist Development Programme (2018)
Punch Records x Rural Media | Birmingham + Hereford, UK
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
space/meaning (2019)
Artefact Gallery | Birmingham, UK
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
Open All Hours (2024)
Shape Arts x 198 Creative Arts & Learning | London, UK
HERE TO STAY / HERE TO SLAY (2023)
The GAP Arts Project | Birmingham, UK
Kultura Sessions: Brum (2022)
Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery x OWW | (online) Birmingham, UK
Careful Networks (2021)
Phoenix, in partnership with BOM, Furtherfield, The Photographers’ Gallery, QUAD, and Vivid Projects | (online) Leicester, UK
A World Without End (2020)
no barking aRt Gallery | (online) London, UK
Something’s Brewing (2019)
Attic Brewery | Birmingham, UK
Island Exhibition (2019)
Ennys House | Penryn, UK
Featured Artists (2018)
The Framers | Birmingham, UK
Drawing Exhibition (2018)
Tresco Gallery | Isles of Scilly, UK
FILM SCREENINGS
untitled 7.1.2021 & excerpts from Poetober 2020 | The OutMuseum (2023)
Outfest | (online) Los Angeles, California
Poetober 2020 | Digbeth First Fridays (2022)
Vivid Projects | Birmingham, UK
Poetober 2019: Black British Masculinities | Cut & Mix (2021)
New Art Exchange | (online) Nottingham, UK
oneminuteglitches: vol 1. antifragile | Wales International Film Festival (2021)
Wales International Film Festival | (online) Swansea, UK
up all night, reading poetry | multiplicity of us (2021)
Arcadia Gallery | Coventry, UK
The Fine Comb | Channel 4 Random Acts (2019)
Channel 4 | (online) London, UK
The Fine Comb | Gallery 37 Showcase (2018)
Mockingbird Cinema | Birmingham, UK
ACTING
The Tiny Spark (2023) | Moving Image & Poetry Film | Short Film
Co-lead | Windrush Productions, OOM Gallery Archive, & Birmingham Museums | Directed by Pogus Caesar
(Tending)(to)(Ta) (2021) | Narrative Fiction | Feature Film
Co-lead | Obsidian Coast | Directed by April Lin 林森
R: Rest (2019) | Experimental Documentary | Short Film
Featured | Supernormal Festival | Directed by April Lin 林森
Candles (2019) | Narrative Fiction | Short Film
Lead | University of Bristol | Directed by Alexander Troman
SELECTED LIVE PERFORMANCES
Empower Poetry (2024) | Birmingham, UK
Open All Hours (2024) | London, UK
Vivid Projects + Ikon (2023) | Birmingham, UK
Birmingham Festival ’23 (2023) | Birmingham, UK
Jerwood Staging Series (2022) | London, UK
NØ LAB: Algo Afro Futures (2022) | Paris, France
MCVA at Vivid Projects (2022) | Birmingham, UK
Sober Pride (2022) | Birmingham, UK
Spoken Word & Social Action (2022) | Manchester, UK
Supernormal Festival (2022) | Oxfordshire, UK
Tramlines Festival (2022) | Sheffield, UK
(Algo|Afro) Futures (2022) | Birmingham, UK
MCVA at Sol Cafe (2022) | Birmingham, UK
Cut & Mix (2021) | Nottingham, UK
No Bounds Festival (2021) | (online) Sheffield, UK
Corridor of Light (2021) | (online) Manchester, UK
Poetry Booth (2020) | London, UK
MCVA at flat 8 Gallery (2019) | Birmingham, UK
Stirchley Speaks (2019) | Birmingham UK
MCVA at Supernormal Festival (2019) | Oxfordshire UK
SELECTED WORKSHOPS/EVENT HOSTING
‘Access Rider Workshop’ for as part of ‘Tools For Practice’ (2024) | multistory | (online) West Bromwich, UK
Sonnet writing workshop for ‘Other~Wise Summer School’ as part of Young Writers Residency (2023) | The GAP Arts Project | Birmingham, UK
‘Shame & Compassion’ workshop as part of ‘Well-being Through Creative Writing’ (2023) | Empower Poetry x Eastside Projects | Birmingham, UK
Sound art workshops with primary school children for Abbas Zahedi’s ‘Sonic Signals’ (2023) | Eastside Projects | Birmingham, UK
‘Shame & Compassion’ workshops as part of Artist Residency (2022) | Vivid Projects | (irl and online) Birmingham, UK
Collective poetry workshop for ‘Our Shared Cultural Heritage (OSCH)’ (2022) | Manchester Museum | Manchester, UK
‘(Black) Liberation?’ writing workshop at Warwick University (2022) | Papaya Collective | Coventry, UK
‘Spoken Word Night!’ event hosting (2021) | Act For Change Fund | (online) Taunton, UK
‘Black History Month Evening of Creativity’ producing / event hosting (2020) | Active Arts Erdington | Birmingham, UK
Poetry workshops in secondary schools for ‘Echo Eternal Festival’ (2020) | CORE Education Trust | Coventry / Birmingham, UK
‘SHOUT Community Day’ collage poetry workshop for families with young children (2019) | Q121 x SHOUT Festival | Birmingham, UK
‘Archives and Echoes’ writing workshop (2019) | Artefact Gallery | Birmingham, UK
‘Drawing, Poetry, and Personal Archives’ writing workshop (2019) | Artefact Gallery | Birmingham, UK
PANELS/TALKS/INTERVIEWS
Exit Strategy: A Reflection on Samiir Saunders’ Residency (2023)
Vivid Projects | Birmingham, UK
‘The Tiny Spark’ Film Screening & Discusion (2023)
Thinktank, Birmingham Museums | Birmingham, UK
NØ LAB: Algo Afro Futures Q&A (2022)
NØ SCHOOL NEVERS & La Gaîté Lyrique | Paris, France
Selected 12 in-conversation with artist April Lin 林森 (2022)
Nottingham Contemporary, FLAMIN, & videoclub | Nottingham, UK
EP. 5 – Samiir Saunders (2022)
The Decaf or Flat White Podcast | Birmingham, UK
Contested Heritage Roundtable (2022)
GLA Commission for Diversity in the Public Realm | (online) London, UK
Cher-ing is Caring (2021)
Auto Italia | (online) London, UK
Speedy Crits: Samiir Saunders (2021)
Coventry Artspace | (online) Coventry, UK
Q&A: April Lin 林森 (2020)
HOME Artist Weekender | (online) Manchester, UK
Passing Notes TV 22/10/20: with artist & musical poet Samiir Saunders! (2020)
Passing Notes Project | (online) Birmingham, UK
Our Artists: Samiir Saunders (2019)
Cosimo.art | Birmingham, UK
Digital While Black (2019)
Birmingham Open Media in partnership with AfroFutures_UK | Birmingham, UK