Umar Rashid has been announced as the inaugural recipient of the AMA Artist Award, a new initiative created to amplify the international visibility of North American artists working today.

Launched by Angus Montgomery Arts, a global leader in organising art fairs, the AMA Artist Award is an annual program that supports early- to mid-career artists who have not yet presented a major international solo exhibition. The Award provides a career-defining platform: a dedicated showcase at India Art Fair (5–8 February 2026) and Tokyo Gendai (11–13 September 2026), two of Asia’s most influential contemporary art fairs.

Selected by a distinguished curatorial committee, Rashid will present a focused exhibition of his work across both fairs. The opportunity will introduce his practice to collectors, patrons, and institutional leaders throughout Asia, helping to strengthen connections between North America and the Asia-Pacific art communities.

Based in Los Angeles, Rashid constructs expansive narrative worlds that weave together real and imagined histories, interrogating how power, identity, and colonial legacies are recorded and remembered. Over more than two decades, he has developed a vast and evolving saga—most notably his Frenglish Empire—that challenges conventional custodians of historical narrative.