The luxury mixed-media artist, Max Jamali, is famous for the use of luxurious items to create his art. Based in Toronto, Max has an award-winning background in fashion photography, with his artwork showcased in Toronto, Miami, L.A. and Dubai. In contrast with other artists, Max’s work focuses on luxury itself as a medium. He uses diamond dust, exotic leather, 24k gold, genuine silver, and Swarovski crystals to create pieces that scream opulence. Chaarmz Magazine had an exclusive interview with Max Jamali to learn more about the man behind the luxury artwork.
Who is Max Jamali?
I feel that because my name, ‘Max Jamali,’ also represents my brand, my personal and professional brands are almost parallel to one another. I would say I would like ‘Max Jamali’ to represent a harmony between exotic and luxurious materials that come together to use my audience's creative skill and imagination to trigger their emotional power. After all, art is all about the expression.
What is the inspiration behind the brand?
To simply describe it, I have been fascinated by design and architecture since my teenage years in Dubai. The city is visually super luxurious and literally limitless. It was continually pushing me to find a way of expressing my creative side, but I didn’t know how. I didn’t realize it until later, but it had planted a seed in my mind to pursue luxury in my own way, which originated my career in fashion photography. Although photography was a huge passion of mine, there was a missing element that I later found in art.
What made you realize art had that ‘element’ you were looking for?
I remember always thinking to myself, “How unfortunate it is that after a team spends weeks to create an editorial concept and bring it to life, the lifetime of that editorial (which is very much a form of art on its own) is as short as the shelf-life of that magazine’s issue. One thing I really value about creating original artworks is the fact that it is appreciated for years to come, talked about, and lived with.
What is your constant inspiration?
I always believed in creating exciting short-term and long-term goals in my calendar to let it pull me forward instead of pushing myself forward. It’s a concept I learned at Grant Cardone’s Marketing Seminar in Miami, and it has been a huge game-changer for me. I simply dream as big and realistic as I can, set specific dates for it, and get myself so excited that I wake up in a positive spirit almost every single day to pursue that goal. That is exactly how I managed to be a part of two shows during Art Basel 2019 and in early 2020 to expand my brand to Beverly Hills and Hollywood.
How did Covid-19 affect your plans?
Prior to the pandemic, my main focus was to expand to Europe during the summer of 2020, as I had shows planned with my brand partners in Monaco, Mykonos, and Lisbon. After I came back to Toronto from L.A. in early March of 2020, I realized how serious the pandemic's effects were on the market, and that’s when the city went into shutdown. I’m not going to lie, the first six weeks were full of uncertainty as I had to re-plan my whole marketing for the rest of the year. Instead, I decided to work on making my brand stronger in North America and create interactive virtual platforms so my clients can experience the brand from anywhere.
What are you excited about now?
At the moment, aside from the custom works I am creating with multiple interior design projects and co-organizing the Reve De Moi Collaborative Art Exhibit launch in Dubai for 2021, I am very excited about launching my sculpture series. The series will be available for custom orders through my website as well as in person with the luxury furniture company, Modern Sense.
The hand-created sculptures are just over 2 feet high, cast with epoxy, and layered with luxurious materials such as crocodile, python, and stingray to diamonds, emeralds, and ruby stones. This series will be an introduction of the Ultra Luxurious Sculpture Series, called DI LUSSO Luxury Sculptures.
What is the reason behind the DI LUSSO name?
When I first thought about creating a sculpture, I wanted it to be something that its collector could see themselves in it by combining their favourite colours, textures, and materials. A form that describes it’s owner’s desire so deeply and accurately that it creates that luxurious feeling in them every time they look at the sculpture. I also decided to call it DI LUSSO, which means luxury in Italian, because of my fascination with Italian luxury elements.
What is the best way for readers to get in touch with you?
I'm very active on my Instagram, @maxjamali, as well as my website, www.maxjamali.com
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