Artist | Scholar | Activist
LinkedIn profile

Ally Zlatar is an artist, scholar and activist. She is the founder of The Starving Artist, an initiative that uses art activism to empower marginalised communities and advocate for climate reform – with a particular focus on water preservation.

Ally’s journey into climate activism began during her 10-year battle with a chronic eating disorder, relying on pharmaceuticals for recovery. Witnessing the environmental impact of her prescriptions sparked her climate anxiety. She channeled her experiences into a public art-activism billboard campaign addressing pharmaceutical waste in water contamination and treatment. Through her art-billboard campaign, Ally addresses pharmaceutical waste in water contamination, sparking industry dialogues with over 5 of the top global pharma-medical companies to champion sustainable, people-centered solutions.

Ally Zlatar has received numerous accolades for humanitarian work; such as the Commonwealth Innovation Awards (2023), UN Women 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 has taught as a Lecturer at the University of Sharjah, University of Glasgow, KICL London, and the University of Essex (UEIC).