MY FISH CRUSH, 2023

Sahara Sheikh is a digital 2D animator from the Philadelphia area. As a transgender woman and biracial Somali-American, gender and heritage influence her artwork and its subjects. The abstract worlds she builds play with perspective. She’s drawn to fantastical, unruly narratives about trans women navigating worlds as teenagers, pop stars, or demons. She hopes to make shows starring transgender girls and women who are Black, Somali, lively, flawed, and able to change the world around them. “Animation allows me the power to alter my characters in unimaginable ways. I also enjoy building worlds that are explosive and vibrant… When I struggle in my art-making, I look to my culture, heritage, and family for inspiration. Somali culture is so vast and beautiful, that it always provides me with meaningful ideas and themes. In my narratives I mostly have Somali characters, like Rafee’a, who is one of the stars in my film UPSTAGE. I have a lot of young Somali people in my family and want them to feel represented in my work. I try to always keep them in mind. Also, my identity as a trans woman has driven me to mostly make narratives starring trans women. There are very few [trans narratives] that exist. I’m not worried about universal appeal. I make the art I want to see.”