At Buro247 Middle East, we are committed to showcasing and celebrating the extraordinary talent in the Arab world. With our column, #BuroSpotlights, we bring you stories of pioneering artists, innovative designers, tech trailblazers, cinematic visionaries, sports stars, and more.
This week, #BuroSpotlights Iranian Multidisciplinary Artist Roham Shamekh.
At the crossroads of art and design stands Roham Shamekh, a multidisciplinary creator whose Dubai-based studio has quietly become a laboratory for functional yet deeply expressive pieces. Born in Tehran and shaped by a life that oscillates between challenge and reinvention, Shamekh refuses to separate beauty from purpose. His work does more than decorate spaces; it sparks reflection on identity, environment, and even the unseen energies that surround us.
Shamekh’s creative journey began in Iran, where by age fifteen he was already navigating photography, painting, and sculpture. Leaving his family behind at eighteen, he carried his craft and convictions to Dubai. Here, he forged a unique vision that blends street art influences like graffiti and tattoo painting with the rigor of product design. The result is a body of work that feels simultaneously urban and poetic, personal yet universal.
Take his ‘Ovo Man’ chair, for example, a quiet powerhouse of design. At first glance, it’s a piece of minimalist elegance. Look closer and you’ll find a dialogue between opposites: masculine and feminine, nature and industry, order and chaos. A metallic floral branch breaking through the chair’s corner hints at the tension between humanity and the environment, a signature Shamekh motif. This chair is a statement about balance in a world defined by duality.
Shamekh’s collection, Pharrell’s Echoes, channels his personal story of manifestation—the idea that our intentions, energy, and belief shape reality. Central to it are resin and porcelain chairs adorned with cherubs bearing Pharrell’s face, symbols of guardian angels, and unseen support. One piece, Universe, is a torso-shaped chair with angel wings, representing hope and transcendence.
What sets Shamekh apart is his insistence that art must also function. His pieces are heavy, sculptural, and not always comfortable, but they invite interaction and reflection. His studio team brings these ideas to life through storytelling, iterative design, and a fluid approach to medium—resin, metal, porcelain, and even generative AI all have their place.
Roham Shamekh is more than a designer or artist. He is a storyteller, a believer in the power of manifestation, and a visionary who bridges worlds—East and West, art and utility, chaos and order. In every piece he creates, there’s a pulse of life, a reflection of self, and an invitation to see beauty not just as decoration but as a force that shapes us all.
ALSO READ: CHANEL JUST LAUNCHED AN ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE—WILL YOU GRAB IT?
