Saba Siddiqui West Yorkshire, United Kingdom

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Saba Siddiqui (b.1999) is a multimedia artist based in Yorkshire whose work centres the experiences of Global Majority people living in the U.K. to investigate notions of home and identity. Her degree show installation ‘Defiance My Way’ won the People’s Choice Award for the 2024 FUAM Graduate Art Prize and she is a recipient of the Berkofsky Award. Siddiqui is making work for Bradford 2025.

Saba Siddiqui [b.1999] is a British Asian artist from Sheffield who has recently completed her BA in Art and Design at the University of Leeds gaining a first-class degree with honours.

Her degree show installation, ‘Defiance My Way’, won the People’s Choice Award for the FUAM Graduate Art Prize 2024 and she is a recipient of the 2024 Berkofsky Award from the University of Leeds. Siddiqui has won the University of Leeds Partnership award for Equality and Inclusion 2023 and Student-Staff Partnership 2024 through her dedication to the decolonisation of student education and sitting on two student advisory boards whilst at university. She also worked as the intern for the Stanley and Audrey Burton Gallery, part of the University of Leeds Library Galleries during her final year.

Siddiqui combines her research interests of decolonising student education, museums and galleries with her art practice through multimedia installations. Her work is full of colour, pattern and texture, representing how her culture and upbringing shapes her personal style. She considers the accessibility of her art to all people by stimulating a variety of senses and consults and embraces her positionality and touches on the concept of relational aesthetics through her work. She is influenced by theatre set design, film and political and social issues.

Being of South Asian heritage and spending part of her childhood in Dubai, she creates work and subsequent dialogue around the cultures and experiences of Global Majority people. Her work is often described as educational and thought provoking. She is passionate about the inclusion of underrepresented groups in higher education and art and community engagement. As part of her intern role, she worked with a group of asylum seekers to create a collaborative cookbook ‘Cook Up Recipe Book’ which has been published, entered the University of Leeds Special Collections and was a part of Sunny Bank Mills summer exhibition 2024 ‘Don’t Play With Your Food’ where the book was sold raising money for the charity LASSN (Leeds Asylum Seekers Support Network).

Siddiqui was previously studying Medicine and Surgery at the Hull York Medical School before changing pathways to art. She is still dedicated to helping and having a positive impact on others which she follows through on by volunteering for various organisations and believes in the power of art for wellbeing. Currently she a youth curator for the performance festival Transform and upcoming fashion exhibition at Lotherton Hall, delivering creative workshops and exploring, experimenting and playing with all art mediums.