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about

biography

Ally Zlatar is an artist, scholar and activist. She is the founder of The Starving Artist; an artist initiative that utilizes creative voices as a way to create advocacy and systemic reform. She also founded The Starving Artist Scholarship Fund which helps people access inpatient mental health treatment. Her "This Body of Mine" campaign explores migrant experiences through creative voices and has helped support individuals and artists from refugee-seeking backgrounds globally.

Ally Zlatar has received numerous accolades for humanitarian work; such as the Commonwealth Innovation Awards (2023), UNWomen 30 for 2030 (2024), winner of The Princess Diana Legacy Award (2021), King Hamad Award for Youth Empowerment (2022), the Lieutenant Governor's Community Volunteer Award from the Ontario Government of Canada (2023) and also special recognition from The British Citizen Award (2022).

She holds a BFA in Visual Art & Art History from Queen's University & an MLitt Curatorial Practice and Contemporary Art from the Glasgow School of Art. Her Doctorate in Creative Arts was completed at the University of Southern Queensland focusing on embodied experiences of mental illness in contemporary art. Zlatar is a Lecturer at the University of Sharjah and has taught at the University of Glasgow, KICL London, and the University of Essex (UEIC).

Zlatar uses art as a tool to delve into the complexity of the human experience, particularly focusing on illness, vulnerability, and authenticity. Her work draws from personal experiences & auto-ethnography to drive change. She recognizes the power in examining the unwell body and utilizes art as a means of activism, aiming to spark dialogue and create societal impact.

research

Zlatar specializes in Art, Philosophy, Sociology, Gender Studies, and Creative Industries. Her teaching prioritizes key historical ideas through qualitative and practice-led research. Research areas include art, ethics, and embodiment, with a current focus on eating disorders ethics and auto-ethnography from her PhD.

She has diverse interests including normative and medical ethics, queer and gender studies, mental health, and art. Her work is published in peer-reviewed journals and books, their work seamlessly connects academia, artistry, and advocacy.

‘topographic’, ally zlatar, acrylic, 6 x 4”, 2023.

https://youtu.be/okUL-1J9TYQ

curriculum vitae

education

PhD

Doctor of Creative Arts & Health | University of Southern Queensland | 2020-2023

RESEARCH | THESIS

MLitt

Masters of Curatorial Studies & Contemporary Art | Glasgow School of Art | 2018-2019

Awards: Academic Excellence (Top GPA), Access Grant, Sustainability Action Recipient, Student-initiated Project Recipient

BA

Bachelor’s Degree, Art & Art History | Queen's University | 2015-2018 | Panel Grant Awards: Achievement, Honours List

Mentor College | 2011-2015

memberships

Women’s Classical Caucus (WCC) | 2019-Present

The Society for Classical Studies (SCS) | 2019-Present

Mental Health Foundation Australia | 2020-2022

Association Women's Rights in Development (AWID)| 2020-2025

Association of Academic Museums and Galleries | 2021-2023

Royal Historical Society | 2021-Present

Eating Disorder Therapist Networking Group (EDTNG) | 2022

University of Southern Queensland Academic Arts & Science | 2020-2025

advisory roles

residencies

awards

2025

StudyAlumni UK Awards |Culture and Creativity | UAE

2024

2023

2022

2021

Princess Diana "Legacy Award" | Highest Acclaim for Youth Humanitarian Work

Princess Diana's "Diana Award" | Inspirational Youth Social Work

Royal Air Force Families Federation | Art Finalist

2016-2020

fellowships

work experience

role	institution	.	dates +details
Lecturer	University of Sharjah	2024-Present	Teaching: Art and Medicine, Research Methods in Humanities, Drawing Fundamentals, Art & Design Foundations II, Fine Arts Seminar II, History of Art and Design I & II, Contemporary Art and Media Theory. Coordinating: Contemporary Art and Media Theory, Fine Arts Seminar II. Program Development: Art and Medicine Course, Bachelors of Art History Program, Masters of Curatorial Practice Program .
Founder & Director	The Starving Artist	2017-Present	Lead vision and strategy, curate exhibitions, workshops, and publications. Build cross-sector partnerships. Organize 30+ exhibitions globally, impacting over 100,000 people. Foster conversations around social change through the arts.
Content & Narrative Curator	Dubai Police Museum	2025	Curate exhibition content ensuring historical accuracy and engaging storytelling. Liaise with stakeholders for smooth project execution. Develop innovative strategies to increase visitor engagement and education.
Coordinator, External Curatorial Projects	Praxis Creative Ltd	2025	Manage external curatorial projects, ensuring cohesive narratives and audience engagement. Facilitate collaborations with artists and institutions. Oversee project execution, curatorial frameworks, and strategic planning.
Lecturer	University of Glasgow, Continuing Education	2024	Teach Art History and Philosophy courses, including El Greco to Goya, Spanish Painting, Feminist Philosophies, and Environmental Ethics. Develop new courses such as Continental Perspectives on Truth, Environmental Ethics.
Lecturer	University of Glasgow, Anderson College GIC	2021-2024	Module Coordinator for Art History (FC719). Teach Premasters and Foundation Studies courses, including Critical Thinking, Arts Research Methodology, and Politics. Provide 1:1 learning advising and support.
Research Mentor	Crimision Education	2023- Present	Mentor students, guiding their Humanities-Based research projects, offering feedback and support.
Advisory Board Member	AU-EU Youth Voices Lab	2025	Support youth-led research initiatives, offer strategic guidance, and promote collaboration between EU and AU youth voices.
Board Trustee	Engage, National Association for Gallery Education, UK	2022-Present	Contribute to the strategic direction and decision-making of the association focusing on Scotland, Youth-Engagement.
Lecturer	Kaplan International College, London	2021	Teach PM606 Advanced Social Science, providing insight into social science principles and their real-world applications.
Lecturer	University of Essex International College	2021	Teach PM601 UK Society and Culture, PM606 Advanced Social Science, focusing on the development of critical thinking and academic writing skills.
Assistant Curator and Art Broker	Lord & Lion Arts	2019-2020	Assist in curating exhibitions and brokering art deals. Support the development of art collections and manage artist-client relationships.
Curatorial Assistant	Centre for Contemporary Arts, Glasgow	2019-2020	Conduct research on Communism & Folk Revival in Scotland. Assist in the development of CCA Publication Studio & Archives, contributing to exhibition planning and execution.
Curator	The Hunterian and Hayward Galleries	2019	Curate exhibitions, manage collections, and ensure the presentation of artwork aligns with the institution’s mission and vision.
Residence Supervisor	Glasgow School of Art	2018-2019	Supervised student residences, offering academic and personal support to ensure a conducive environment for creativity and study.
Graduate Residence Supervisor	Queen's University	2016-2018	Managed graduate residence facilities, offering pastoral care and academic support to students living on campus.
Visual Art Teacher	Mentor College	2014-2017	Taught visual arts to Grades 7, 8, 11, and 12, focusing on developing artistic skills, creativity, and critical thinking.
Curatorial Assistant of Contemporary Art	Agnes Etherington Art Centre	2015-2017	Curating: "Lost Bodies" and "Studies in Contemporary Collection." Conducted research and provided administrative support.
Administrative Executive Assistant	Art Gallery of Mississauga	2013-2014	Exhibitions: "Sahmat: Art Activism in India" and "6 Characters in Search of a Photograph." Managed gallery logistics and communications.

community engagement

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TEDx Speaker | 'Art and Climat Activism' | University of Stirling

Judge | Global Good Awards

Panellist | Artsidize: Making Artistic Innovations Count for Empowerment | Artdialogo

Panellist | Youth Conference 2022 By Tempo Media & Development Dialogue Asia

Podcast Guest | BBC Sounds ‘Ally Zlatar is bringing 'Starving Artist' to the island‘

Representative | ‘Youth Mental Health’ Goethe- Institute: Voices of Culture, Brussels

Speaker | American School of Barcelona

Speaker | Scottish Parliament: Holyrood Evidence Week - Mental Health

Speaker and Panelist | International Youth Mental Health Conference, Copenhagen

Speaker | Career Lounge: Health & Social Care, Diana Mentoring Programme

Speaker | Conversations for Change: Authenticity and Vulnerability in Activism

Speaker | YouthLink Scotland Policy Convention: Youth Work is Human Rights Work

Speaker | Oxford University: Understanding Mental Illness Through Visual Arts

Speaker | Dandelion Festival Scotland

Speaker | Scottish Parliament: Holyrood Volunteers Week

Speaker| Dismantling the Body in Art Making Symposium, University of Washington

Speaker | ’The Way Ahead’ National Initiative for Eating Disorders

Speaker | Le Rocquier School

Speaker | Jersey College for Girls

Speaker | JEDS: Jersey Eating Disorders Support

Speaker | Talking EDs: Eating Disorder Support Services

Speaker | Eating Disorder Therapist Networking Group

Podcast Guest | The Tomato Timer #058

Judge | Reimagine Education Awards

Master Class | Oxford Royal Academy: Arts and Lived-in Experiences Workshop

Workshop | The Starving Artist by ArtHouse Jersey

Visiting Activist | International Conference on Family Planning, Thailand

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Speaker | Spectrums of Hope- World Children’s Day, Artdialogo Asia

Speaker | Art and Activism Workshop- Diana Award

Speaker | One Young Person, One Member of Parliament, One Hour | Glasgow Central MP

Speaker | "The Starving Artist" Institute for Feminist Legal Studies York University

Speaker | Association of Academic Museums & Galleries Conference "Health & Wellness"

Speaker | British Museum’s London Drawing Group: Feminist Lecturer Series

Speaker | Together! Disability Month Festival | Artist Discussion

Podcast Guest | Jo’s Art History Podcast "Complex Moral Issues of Animal Ethics in Art"

20
20

Panel Chair | "Drawing In The World" for "Hand Drawn Action Packed" Hunterian Gallery

Speaker | Glasgow School of Art Postgraduate Art Symposium

solo exhibitions

University of Sharjah Student Documentary Project on:
Dr. Ally Zlatar ‘Museums and The White Box’ | 2025

curatorial

2024

Belonging; Navigating Artists Navigating identity in African Diaspora | The Starving Artist | 2024

Break The Silence To End The Violence; Addresses the urgent issue of gender-based violence (GBV) | Young European Movement + The Starving Artist | 2024

The End Times; Examining the Apocalypse through Artists Perspectives | The Starving Artist | 2024

The Meeting Point: Examining Female Migration Experiences | The Starving Artist | 2024

Not Another Fish In The Sea: Art Advocacy for Marine and Ocean Conservation | The Starving Artist | 2024

This Body of Mine: Lived-in Experiences of Disability and Ableism| The Starving Artist | 2024

The Body Revolts / The Body Aligns: Exploring Queer Embodied Experiences| The Starving Artist | 2024

2023

2022-2019

2018-2014

group exhibitions

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In the crossfire - War, Displacement and Refuge | Socially Engaged Art Salon + Refugee Week UK

Out of Sight Out of Mind | Summerhall

The Male Figure | Gallery Kunstbehandlung

Vilomah: Hidden Loss & Untold Futures | Citizens Art Gallery

TransFusion | TransArts Festival

Passage of Time | A.D. Gallery UNC Pembroke

Les Balkannes | Contempl’Art

Places We Live | Gallery Omata
-Best In Show Honour

Action Against Hate; Diversity & Religion Exhibition | University of West Minister and Get The Trolls Out

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22

To Be Named | Smithsonian Institution’s Recovering Voices program, EHCN

Food: Recipe or Remedy | Royal College of Physicians

Pint of Science | Creative Reactions Brazil

ArtFest Voices | University of Maryland

Migrations | Wirtualne Muzeum Antropocenu

ArtOut | LGBT+ Resource Center & Gulfport Library

Pause for Thought | Shoe Factory

Unapologetically Me | Norwich University of the Arts & Empowering Arts

Out of Wounds: Art Uncovering Gender Violence | Milostka Center & Culturally Arts Collective

Out of Sight Out of Mind | Summerhall

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Visions of Climate Heritage | Historic Environment Scotland

Food Justice in Appalachia | West Virginia University Libraries

Industrial Symbiosis: Circular Fashion | Barcelona Design Week, Design Manchester & Disseny Hub

Gender Now | Morehead State University & Golding-Yang Gallery

Digital Superpower! | Fak’ugesi African Digital Innovation Festival

Look Up! | Journeys Festival

Aesthetics Flex PD Art Project | NHS Birkhead, Open Door Charity & Convenience Gallery

Colours of Confluence | Aureo Gallery-US & Art Bank International

Art In Isolation | Columbia University & Teacher’s College | Art School Pedagogy 2.0 Symposium

Pint of Science | University of Nottingham & Creative Reactions

Climate Action & Visual Culture | University of Huddersfield

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Being Human: Apart but Together | Queen Mary University

Sex Workers Outreach Project | D17 Day of Remembrance

In-Between | Brick Lane Gallery & TOMA TimeBank Space

Not Going Back to Normal | Edinburgh Collective

Detour | University of Maine Emery Arts Center

Confinement Chronicle | Frikifish Spain

Subvert | Toula Gallery

After Greed Became Form | White Rectangle

Coexistence | Natura, Arte Habitat

NY20+ International | Nongyuan Culture

Art of Caring | Nongyuan Culture

CRACovid(a) Project | Centro in Romagna per la Ricerca Arte Contemporanea

SHIFT; International Biennale of Performance & Participatory Arts | Edinburgh College of Art

publications

Zlatar, A., & Divers, A. (2025). The ethics and aesthetics of artificial images: Depictions of eating disorders in medical narratives. Oxford Intersections: AI in Society, in press.

Zlatar, A. (2025). The church of skinny: autoethnographic interpretations of eating disorder experiences. Visual Studies, 1–4. https://doi.org/10.1080/1472586X.2025.2478975

Zlatar A. (2025)Breaking barriers to gender reform through art and expression. UNToday
https://untoday.org/breaking-barriers-to-gender-reform-through-art-and-expression/

Zlatar, A. (2024) The Transformative Power of Art in Healthcare Reform A Case Study of “The Starving Artist”. European Alternatives Journal – Issue 4.

Zlatar, A. (2023). Advanced Replicating Technology in Adventure Fiction: The Philosophical Implications of Material Synthesizer in The Orville. In P. Keikhosrokiani & M. Pourya Asl (Eds.), Handbook of Research on Artificial Intelligence Applications in Literary Works and Social Media (pp. 142-150). IGI Global. doi.org/10.4018/978-1-6684-6242-3.ch007

Zlatar, A. (2023). ‘Violated Voices: Millennial Messages of Sexual Violence in the Music of Contemporary Female Artists’, Groundings Journal.

Zlatar, A. (2023). Book Review: The Troubles of Emil Cioran, HMU: Dialogues. Harrison Middleton University. https://www.hmu.edu/hmu-blog/2023/5/12/book-review-the-troubles-of-emil-cioran

Zlatar, A. (2023). The Art of Japanese Death Game Films Through Analysis of As The Gods Will, Harrison Middleton University. https://www.hmu.edu/hmu-blog/2023/3/3/the-art-of-japanese-death-game-films-through-analysis-of-as-the-gods-will

Zlatar, A. (2022). The Last Yugoslavia. In Smithsonian Institution and Recovering Voices program, cooling, and the Experimental Humanities Collaborative Network (EHCN).

Zlatar, A. (2022). One Eating Disorder to Rule Them All: Understanding Tolkien’s Middle-Earth as A Metaphor for the Eating Disorder Experience. In Tolkien’s Medicinal Medieval World: Illness and Healing in Middle-earth.

Zlatar, A. (2022). Family Affair. In Migratory Yellow Pages / La Sección Amarilla de la Migración. Minerva Cuevas and University of Texas-El Paso Rubin Center.

Zlatar, A. (2022). Sunday Service; An Exploration into Autoethnographic Eating Disorder Art. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 221(1), B1-B1. doi:10.1192/bjp.2022.64

Zlatar, A. (2022). When the Body is Ill, The Mind Suffers: Shakespeare’s Unravelling of Women’s Hysteria and Madness in the Elizabethan Era. The Collation, Folger Shakespeare’s Library.

Zlatar, A. (2022). Metaphor in eating disorder art: Understanding the lived-in experience. In Metaphor, meaning, message: Imagined representations of the creative arts, NiTRO Edition 41 – April.

Zlatar, A., et al. (2022). Chapter 1. Brainstorming Report 'Youth, Mental Health and Culture. EU Commission, Voices of Culture.

Zlatar, A. (2021). One Body, My Body No Body: An Investigation Into The Life of An Artist Who Endures an Eating Disorder, Body Dysmorphia and Mental Illness. ISBN: 9781006904400.

Zlatar, A., & Ali, A. M. (2021). When Two Bodies Meet. Ross Lynn Charitable Foundation and North Central Louisiana Arts Council. ISBN: 9781006255144.

Zlatar, A. (2019). The Starving Artist: Understanding the Value of Eating Disorders, Body Image and Thinness in Art. ISBN: 9780464021513.

View More: media and press releases

about

biography

research

curriculum vitae

education

PhD

MLitt

BA

memberships

advisory roles

residencies

awards

2025

2024

2023

2022

2021

2016-2020

fellowships

work experience

role

institution

.

dates +details

community engagement

20 25

20 24

20 23

20 22

20 21

2020

solo exhibitions

curatorial

2024

2023

2022-2019

2018-2014

group exhibitions

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

publications

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25

20
24

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23

20
22

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21

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20

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