The Ohio Artist Registry (OAR) is an exciting opportunity for artists to share their work, connect with the creative community, and establish an online presence—all on a free, virtual platform! The OAR encourages artists working in all art forms, throughout Ohio and beyond, to create a profile, which allows them to better promote themselves and their work. Being listed in the OAR provides artists with new opportunities to share their work with clients, galleries, patrons, and audiences. A listing in the OAR does not confer an endorsement, approval, or verification by the Ohio Arts Council.
For more information, contact Kathy Signorino, artist programs director, at kathy.signorino@oac.ohio.gov or 614-728-6140.
2024 Ohio Artist Registry Juried Exhibition
Fatima Almatar
ArtistNorth Olmsted Ohio 44070 United States Home Phone: 2163765883 Website: https://fatimaalmatar.com/
Bio
I’m a bilingual writer, poet and artist. I write to understand and paint when language fails me.
I sought asylum in the United States in late 2018 after facing prosecution in my home country Kuwait due to my political opinions and social activism. As a law professor, a lawyer, and a feminist, I strongly believe in democracy, freedom of speech, and gender equality, but I couldn’t live by my beliefs in Kuwait. When I advocated for the human rights of The Stateless; more than 50,000 longtime inhabitants in Kuwait deprived of citizenship, health, education and work, and held the Sheikh responsible for their tragedy, I was prosecuted. I condemned the growing problem of femicide (honor killings), I spoke up about the poor treatment of women in Islam, I was vocal about LGBTQ rights in a country where homosexuality is still illegal, and I organized protests against the Kuwaiti government’s ban of over 5000 books. When my imprisonment became imminent, I fled, knowing that my daughter Jori and I would never be safe in Kuwait. I now live in the Cleveland area with Jori and our cat Ty.
My writing has appeared in The Wry Ronin, Acumen, The Journal, Angelic Dynamo, Further Monthly, Fleeting Magazine, Bad Language, Staples Magazine, Word, Jaffat El Aqlam, Oyster River Pages, Gordon Square Review, OffSpring, and Cleveland Scene Magazine. I’m currently querying literary agents for my memoir which details what I experienced in Kuwait, and inside the Dilley Detention Center in Texas, USA.
Artist Statement
I’m an artist, writer, and poet. I sought asylum in the United States in 2018 after facing persecution and prosecution in my country – Kuwait – for my political and social activism. I now live in the Cleveland area with my daughter Jori and our cat Ty.
I’m a figurative narrative artist always trying to tell a story in my paintings. I work mostly with oils and acrylics. I taught drawing and painting at BAYarts in Bay Village. Since my migration to the United States, I exhibited my works at several local cafes such as: Loop in Tremont, Phoenix in Ohio City, Roots in Lakewood, the Great Northern Mall in North Olmsted, and Negative Space in Asiatown.