Saif Azzuz Libyan-Yurok, b. 1987
Overview
Saif Azzuz, Gathering Ferns, 2024, Acrylic on canvas, 203.2 x 152.4 cm.
Saif Azzuz (b. 1987) is a Libyan–Yurok artist based in Pacifica, California. His paintings straddle abstraction and surrealism through sweeping colour, gestural movement and references to the natural world, drawing on personal iconography derived from Yurok and Arab heritage. Using spray paint, dyes and inks applied over native and invasive plant species, he incorporates the land directly into his works, reflecting on ecology, memory and the relationship between people and environment. He received a BFA in Painting and Drawing from California College of the Arts. His work has been exhibited internationally, including at Blaffer Art Museum, Houston; ICA San Francisco; de Young Museum, San Francisco; Kadist; Nicelle Beauchene Gallery, New York; and Anthony Meier Fine Arts, and is held in collections including the de Young Museum, SFMOMA-related collections, KADIST, UBS Art Collection and the North Carolina Museum of Art.
His work reflects the resilience of Indigenous cultures and our collective need to view nature as an extension of us, rather than a resource to be extracted. For Azzuz, the land is a marker of space in a time of fleeting ecologies and environmental catastrophe. Traditionally, settlers view the land as something to be conquered, while indigenous peoples view the land as a relative to be nurtured and protected. Azzuz’s artworks are portraits of living beings rather than depictions of a landscape that exists outside of us.
The ghostly images of plants that cover Saif Azzuz’s canvases and paintings on paper are created by spraying various pigments (spray paint, dyes, inks) on top of native and invasive plant species which have been laid on top of the surface, thus incorporating the land into each painting. Azzuz's color palettes are taken from the drought and fire maps from California.
His work revolves around the de-contextualization of Yurok and Arab imagery. Starting with
stories by, of, and for family members, Azzuz constructs spaces utilizing colorful ink and acrylic paint on tapestry-like canvas imbuing the work with the washy luminosity and gentle disquiet of dreams. The titles for his pieces are conversational and often include Yurok language, further highlighting traditional and contemporary culture side-by-side, and asserting Yurok people’s deep, ongoing commitment to land stewardship. Through self-defined symbolism communicating ideas such as movement, energy and time, Azzuz works to acknowledge and validate generational trauma, resilience, land and story.
Biography
Portrait of Saif Azzuz. Photography by Chris Grunder.
Saif Azzuz (b. 1987) is a Libyan-Yurok artist based in Pacifica, California, whose paintings straddle abstraction and surrealism in their sweeping use of colour, sensual movement, and evocation of the natural world. The paintings are full and alive, pressing their power up to the very edges of the canvas, resisting their frames. The shapes he makes are like liquid leaves - stretching, reaching, pulling, pushing, almost vibrating with the cycles of the seasons. Azzuz uses a series of personal gestural marks and an iconography derived from the traditions and native land of his peoples.
His work reflects the resilience of Indigenous cultures and our collective need to view nature as an extension of ourselves rather than a resource to be extracted. For Azzuz, the land is a marker of space in a time of fleeting ecologies and environmental catastrophe. Traditionally, settlers view the land as something to be conquered, while Indigenous peoples view the land as a relative to be nurtured and protected. Azzuz’s artworks are portraits of living beings rather than depictions of a landscape that exists outside of us. The ghostly images of plants that cover his canvases and works on paper are created by spraying pigments, dyes and inks over native and invasive plant species placed directly on the surface, incorporating the land into each painting. His colour palettes are drawn from drought and fire maps from California.
His work also revolves around the de-contextualisation of Yurok and Arab imagery. Starting with stories by, of, and for family members, Azzuz constructs spaces using ink and acrylic paint on tapestry-like canvases, imbuing the work with the washy luminosity and gentle disquiet of dreams. The titles of his works are conversational and often include Yurok language, highlighting traditional and contemporary culture side by side and asserting an ongoing commitment to land stewardship. Through self-defined symbolism communicating ideas of movement, energy and time, Azzuz acknowledges generational trauma, resilience, land and story.
Azzuz received a Bachelor’s degree in Painting and Drawing from the California College of the Arts in 2013. He has exhibited widely in the United States and internationally, including a solo exhibition at Blaffer Art Museum, Houston (2025), as well as exhibitions at ICA San Francisco; de Young Museum, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco; Anthony Meier Fine Arts, San Francisco; Kadist, San Francisco; CCA Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts; Galerie Julien Cadet, Paris; Nicelle Beauchene Gallery, New York; Jack Barrett, New York; Hudson River Museum; K Art, Buffalo; Rule Gallery, Denver; PRAX, Oregon State University; Ever Gold [Projects], San Francisco; Pt.2 Gallery, Oakland; and NIAD, Oakland.
Azzuz was a finalist for the 2022 SFMOMA SECA Award and has participated in the Clarion Alley Mural Project and the Facebook Artist in Residence program. His work is held in public and private collections including the de Young Museum, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco; KADIST, San Francisco; North Carolina Museum of Art; Rennie Museum, Vancouver; Stanford Health Care Art Collection; UBS Art Collection; University of St. Thomas; Facebook Collection; and the Gochman Family Collection.
Saif Azzuz lives and works in Pacifica, California.
Exhibitions
