Shezad Dawood was born in London in 1974 and trained at Central St Martin’s and the Royal College of Art before undertaking a PhD at Leeds Metropolitan University. Dawood works across many different forms of media, and much of his practice involves curating and collaboration, frequently working with other artists to build on and create unique networks of critically engaged discursive circles. These networks map across different geographic locations and communities, and are particularly concerned with acts of translation and restaging. For example, his collaborative ‘Feature’ film (2008), which relocated the action of a traditional western to the English countryside, slipping into other sub-genres such as the zombie-flick, and Wagnerian opera (and features cameos from artists Jimmie Durham and David Medalla).

Dawood’s work has been exhibited internationally, including as part of Altermodern - curated by Nicolas Bourriaud at Tate Britain, and the 53rd Venice Biennale (both 2009). And his further extensive exhibitions include projects in cities such as: Dubai, Mumbai, New Delhi, Fribourg, Hamburg, Sydney and Singapore. Upcoming projects include the Busan biennale in Korea (2010), collaboration with contemporary dance choreographer Jasmin Vardimon at Sadlers Wells in London (2011), and a feature-length sci-fi film, which will go into production in the summer of 2011. He currently lives and works in London, where he is Senior Lecturer and Research Fellow in Experimental Media at the University of Westminster.

Photography: Shezad Dawood, ‘Feature Production Still’ , 2008, from super 16 mm and HD, 55 minutes, Courtesy of Paradise Row, London.