MAX JAMALI

Spencer Feature Interview MAX JAMALI

taking luxury art to the MAX

As one of Canada's leading contemporary artists, Jamali is taking on the world by storm

By Joseph Edward Schur

Ifirst met Max through a friend of mine, Korrie Smith. She insisted that I get to know this guy... Max, as she vouched for him being a really cool, leading-edge artist. Now I owe her a debt of gratitude for the introduction, as Max, in my very humble opinion, is truly a gifted artist, and further, a really down-to-earth guy.

Joseph Edward Schur: You lived in the beautiful city of Dubai during your teenage years. How did that influence your interest in art?

Max: Growing up in Dubai certainly taught me to trust my imagination, to always think outside of the box and not to limit myself.

And then you arrived in Canada, quite a contrast from where you grew up.

Photo Credit: Jonathan Levy

My day starts by me going through my day's schedule and 'to do list' that I usually organize the day before. I dedicate about half an hour of my morning to browsing the internet and specific social media pages for innovative design ideas. The next hour is focused on my daily sales and Marketing mentorship with Cardone mentoring program. Then I get ready to either head to my office or my first meeting of the day. I am usually busy with meetings and designing ideas and proposals the remaining of the day. The days that I am in studio, I dedicate the whole day to my art creation process.

How would you like people to interpret your art?

Your background was originally in fashion photography. What was the catalyst for you transitioning to become an artist?

Throughout the 10 years prior to my transition to art, I was a portrait and fashion photographer. I loved expressing my artistic side through the camera lens, but one thing that was missing, was creating a form of art that lasted a long time. Unfortunately, in photography, even after shooting a cover editorial, after a short period of time, that form of art is forgotten, which inspired me to want to become a mixed media artist.

You're famous for using materials such as diamond dust, Swarovski crystals, silver and gold. What was the inspiration to create artworks using such expensive materials? I mean, most artists don't have the luxury of utilizing such valuable materials.

Going back to spending my teenage years in Dubai, I wanted to create a form of artwork that by bringing harmony between luxurious materials, would elevate the client's living space and give it an ultimate luxurious touch.

Diamond dust. What an interesting material to work with! I understand that you have partnered with Analucia Beltran to supply you with diamond dust.

Analucia Beltran and I created a one-ofa-kind concept that uses lab grown diamond dust/powder as one of the layers of the artwork. This series will be the first one of its kind in the world that will come with Diamond Certification from Analucia Beltran. We are working on launching the series sometime in the Fall of 2022.

Please, take us through a typical day in the life of Max Jamali. What is the creative process like for you?

One of the most meaningful parts of my work is seeing individual interpretation of my artworks. I love hearing about every single first impression of my art on my collectors and the story it creates

“When I for them.

Do you believe that art is important to

create a society? Expressiveness and Storytelling are two series, the major human elements that are constantly repeated in society. I believe sharing that element through art gives us the power to direction and create a positive movement within society. details on that Name a couple of artists, past and/or present that you would like to be compared to. series are all There are certainly artists that I constantly get inspired by, but I honestly never wanted to be compared to anyone. I always wanted to based on what create something new and innovative that has never been created before, hence the makes me use of Augmented Reality in my last series "THE MOST COLLECTABLE" Mixed Media Art Series. personally Financial stability is a rarity for most

artists. However, you have achieved an

excited to enviable level of success, including a loyal following of collectors and investors. have in my How does that make you feel, Max? When I create a series, the direction and own living details on that series are all based on what makes me personally excited to have in my space.” own living space. I am honestly happy that what I create excites my followers enough that they would like to collect it and have it as a part of their lives. And speaking of the business aspect of art, I used my marketing background to create the direction of my brand and its marketing, which is extremely vital. I strongly believe every artist should either invest the time, learning the right way of creating a brand and marketing it or find the right agent to partner with.

The price of a Max Jamali painting has skyrocketed recently. What are the primary factors that influence the price of one of your paintings?

It's all related to the brand created and the right partnerships that elevates that brand. When I launched my first series, the most challenging part of my branding was sticking with the evaluation I believed represented my brand properly and it took about year after my launch til that value was created through proper partnerships. That year taught me a lot about marketing a luxury product and I have been working on elevating that ever since.

Of course, establishing a network of like-minded people in the arts is important for an artist. What is your network like and do you support each other?

I strongly agree with that, I have networks of both artists that I always get inspired by, both design and marketing wise and also business minded individuals that constantly challenge me to want to be more innovative and create a stronger brand.

What does generosity as an artist mean to you? I mean, there are artists who you know, engaged in philanthropy, for example, Daniel Mazzone, Peter Triantos and the list goes on.

Giving back has always been a huge part of my brand. My partnerships with multiple fundraising channels every year from Sick Kids and Daily Bread Foodbank all the way to private fundraisings that helped people in need during Covid, makes my brand so much more meaningful to me, and gives me much more inspiration to want to grow more to be able to help more individuals in need.

You are the "Head of Business Development" at New World Inc. How did that opportunity happen? And how is it going?

New World Inc. was co-created by one of my close friends and amazing artists, Diogo Snow. I was introduced to the company through Diogo, and I loved the innovative direction they were creating to take the traditional art experience we are all familiar with to a completely new level. After I worked with the team for about two weeks, because of my experience in design, creative brand development and marketing, they brought me onboard as the Head of Business Development.

At the moment we are working on multiple super innovative projects that will be launched by this summer.

Where do you see your work taking you in the next 10 years?

I want to see innovative art enhancing the experiences within industries such as tourism and hospitality. I would see myself working towards creating meaningful experiences using mixed media art and augmented reality to achieve that.

Thank you, Max. Any closing comments that you would like to share?

I just want to invite everyone reading this article to not be afraid of dreaming. I know we hear that often, but that is the only way we will have access to the gifts we were all born with and one step at a time make this world a better and happier place with those gifts.

"Life is a Mystery"

max jamali's show

at the Vagabondo Restobar in Toronto, Canada

I recently attended Max's latest show in one of Toronto's coolest venues: the Vagabondo Restobar. Packed house. It was tough navigating through the huge crowd, suggesting just how popular Jamali has become. "It was an evening of celebrating the future of art," says Jamali. With innovative Augmented Reality powered butterflies attached to the 'Most Collectable' mixed media art series." Not surprisngly, each piece was sold.

THE MOST COLLECTABLE Series was created with a combination of elements, all using the number 'twenty two,' inspired by the year 2022. The series consists of twenty-two, one-of-a-kind originals. The series features Jamali's photorealism design of Kate Moss. Each piece is layered with a unique, transparent hand-painted butterfly, painted python skin, resin, diamond dust and 2,000 crystals.

Cheers, to another amazing event in Toronto! Joseph Edward Schur