Sarah Kazmi Becomes Oslo Open's New Chair

Kazmi takes over as chair after Katinka Maraz, who has served as chair since 2023.

May 8 2025

Three women smile and pose outdoors in front of a yellow building. The woman on the left has light, shoulder-length hair and is wearing a light patterned jacket over a black sweater and a long, dark skirt. The woman in the middle has dark, shoulder-length hair and is wearing a brown tunic with embroidery over a striped sweater. The woman on the right has dark, curly hair and is holding a large bouquet of light-colored roses wrapped in plastic. She is wearing a gray sweater and dark pants. Behind them is a yellow building with several windows and black awnings with string lights underneath. The ground is covered with light-colored paving stones. — Oslo Open gets a new chair. From left: General Manager Frida Rusnak, Chair Sarah Kazmi, and outgoing Chair Katinka Maraz. Photo: Jan Sarzuelo Dydland

The election took place during Oslo Open’s annual meeting on May 7th, following the nomination from the election committee consisting of Ayman Alazraq, Thomas Iversen, and Tatiana Lozano.

Kazmi, based in Oslo and Karachi, has extensive artistic experience and a strong commitment to diversity in the art scene. She has been an active member of Verdensrommet, an artist-run support network by and for creative professionals from outside the EU/EEA based in Norway.

“Thank you so much for your trust and support. I hope I can bring new perspectives and look forward to working with the artists in Oslo,” says Kazmi.

Wishing her good luck.

Outgoing chair Katinka Maraz is pleased to pass the baton to Sarah Kazmi and would like to thank staff and board members for their good collaboration.

“I am very happy that Oslo Open has an increasing recruitment of artists who want to open their studios, and would particularly like to highlight the work to make Oslo a more accessible art city as important during my time as chair. I wish Oslo Open and the new chair the best of luck and look forward to experiencing Oslo Open from the outside next year,” says Maraz.

In addition to the new chair, a new board member and two new deputy representatives were also elected.

Sarah Kazmi (Chair)
Sisse Lee (Board Member)
Anders Hald (Deputy)
Carmel Alabbasi (Deputy)