Biography:

Saiers’ artistic resume includes a six-month solo exhibition at Alcatraz Prison and a one-year solo show at Harvard's Leverett House. His artwork has also been displayed in several New York City galleries including the Edwardian Room at the Plaza Hotel. In 2018, he installed a 9-foot inflatable rat featuring Bitcoin themes and code outside the Federal Reserve in New York City. Previously, he ran a proprietary trading group at Deutsche Bank and later served as the Chief Investment Officer of a global derivatives-based hedge fund Saiers Capital (Alphabet). In 2011 his firm won the HFM Week award for top relative value hedge fund. Before working in finance, he completed his Ph.D. in mathematics in just one year at the age of 23 form University of Virgina.

Artistic philosophy:

Saiers' art draws inspiration from a range of subjects, portraying them through a mathematical lens that translates ideas into symbols and metaphors. With his expertise in mathematics, he develops a logical framework from which to distill down and then sum up complex ideas. To do so, he brings together seemingly disparate or disassociated concepts and subjects in a seamless and clean way.

.FAQ

1. You appear to have a wide variety of interests?

My interests tend to vary, and I find myself engrossed in different topics for extended periods of time. During my first three years of college, mathematics consumed my thoughts. However, in my senior year, I stumbled upon a book titled "Liar's Poker" and became fascinated with the trading game, which eventually took precedence over my mathematical pursuits. In the weeks leading up to my general exam, I was more focused on day trading tech stocks such as Dell and Compaq than mathematics, and this trend continued during graduate school. This period was also impacted by a significant personal event.

Following my graduation, I joined a derivative trading company called Susquehanna and eventually became the CIO of a global derivative trading firm. However, in 2013, my passion for art sparked, and it became a preoccupation that consumed my thoughts. Around that time, the renowned street artist Banksy did a residency in New York. Though my artistic style differs greatly from Banksy's, I believe the buzz surrounding his work propelled me even further into the world of art. At that point, I knew I needed to become a full-time artist. I have often said that you love what you most often daydream about, and this certainly holds true for me.

2.. You lived through some violent events as a child can you explain hopw they impact your work?

During my childhood, I lived in two countries that experienced significant conflict. In Ethiopia, civil wars erupted after the ousting (and eventual assassination) of Emperor Haile Selassie. Though I was too young to recall much, the events we experinced included being stopped at gunpoint with my mother and witnessing a mass killing outside our home involving machine guns. Later, we relocated to Afghanistan, where a coup led to the overthrow of the Afghan government and the assassination of our ambassador and the Afghan president (this was prior to the full-scale Soviet invasion a year later). The memories of this event still effect me to this day, including tank battles outside our home, fighter planes flying overhead, and tracer bullets passing through our backyard. These experiences have strongly influenced my antiwar stance, which has in turn informed a significant portion of my artwork.

4.. You worked on Wall St during 9/11. How has that impacted you?

Fortunately, none of my colleagues or friends were injured, but I was working for a derivative trading firm called Susquehanna in an office located five hundred yards away from the World Trade Center on 9/11. Initially, we were unaware of what was happening, and I stepped outside to witness the first building ablaze from a few blocks away. Upon the second building being struck, I decided to leave and headed towards Brooklyn before the towers tragically collapsed.

4. What is your favorite color?

It depends on the day but Im a big fan of cobalt blue.