About

My name means slave. My ancestors were indentured servants— essentially slaves— from India and Malaysia. I grew up in South Africa during the apartheid regime and I remember the day apartheid fell. Nelson Mandela was on TV, my parents were overjoyed, and I didn’t understand why until later in my life. That day, my mom’s boss lent her a bright red convertible BMW and we went driving around Johannesburg to places I had never been allowed to go in a city where I grew up. Although vague, the weight of these memories lay dormant in my subconscious waiting for the day I was able to realize them. My history gives weight to my work as a community artist. Community and outreach are vital parts of the fabric that is me.

Goolam Saber is an artist and designer from Johannesburg, South Africa living in Phoenix, Arizona.

He is a multi-disciplinary, visual artist focused on community collaboration, typography, murals and artist books. His intention is to make art accessible by sharing skills and resources to create experiential pieces that promote change.