Salman Toor

New York, New York

Artworks shown are selected from works submitted by the artist in their grant or residency application. All works are copyright of the artist or artist’s estate.

About Salman Toor

Salman Toor was born in Lahore, Pakistan, in 1983. He lives and works in New York City. Toor received an MFA in Painting from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn in 2009. His paintings are figurative, varying in scale and style, ranging in subject from art history to queer culture to Post-Colonialism. Toor has had several solo exhibitions in the US and Pakistan and has participated in significant group shows such as the Kochi Biennale 2016. His work is included in the permanent collection of Tate Modern and has been featured in publications such as ArtAsiaPacific, Hyperallergic, Artsy, Wall Street International, Gay Letter, Cultured, and Out Magazine.

Program Participation

Painters & Sculptors Grant, 2019

Website / Social Links

I see my work as part of a larger project of subcultured voices who update and challenge notions of identity in western art history. By creating private, deeply comfortable spaces, I hope to give dignity and safety to the boys in my paintings. Somehow, this also makes me feel safe and comfortable, solidifying my context in this culture as a queer man from a Muslim cultural background.”