‘We are all human beings and we all live in the world, which is basically one village.’

Khurshid Alam Saleem, Central Islip

“The natural inspiration to make art started at the beginning of my life; throughout my childhood I wanted to draw and paint. I grew up in Bangladesh and, when I was a young adult, I went to art school. Many of my teachers had spent time in America and Europe and they were fascinated by abstract art. They taught us students about it. I was fascinated by the work of Mark Rothko. In 1986, I immigrated to New York. While living on Long Island, I became very inspired by the ocean, and I started a series of abstract paintings called ‘Water Waves.’

“My current series of work is called ‘3D Abstraction: Hidden Beauty.’ These paintings are inspired by Rothko’s squares, but they have dimension. My goal is to create beauty using composition and color; I use the term ‘hidden beauty’ in my painting’s titles because their elements are inspired by forms that are found in nature, such as flower petals or even the human body. Not everyone notices these natural shapes, so their beauty is often hidden.

My roots are in South Asia, but my art philosophy is very Western.

“I have had 81 solo shows in 17 countries, including America, Japan, Sweden, Austria, Morocco, China, India, Bangladesh, Germany, France, Belgium, Iran, Greece, Netherlands, Italy, Uzbekistan and Russia. I won a gold medal award for my art when it was exhibited at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

“I also served as a visiting professor at a university in China, where I taught students modern art techniques. I personally know more than 5,000 artists from continents all across the globe. From 2008 to 2020, I owned the New York Art Connection Gallery, where I curated over 80 exhibitions. I am hoping to curate an exhibition of international artists at Westbury Arts in 2024 or 2025 and, in May of 2024, I will have a solo show at the Bayard Cutting Arboretum in Islip.

“My roots are in South Asia, but my art philosophy is very Western. We are all human beings and we all live in the world, which is basically one village. It doesn’t matter where you were born or where you work because the internet connects us quickly and easily; artists from anywhere can embrace art of any style. There are no limits.”

Interviewed by Meagan J. Meehan