Toronto-born and of Armenian descent, Sarine Semerjian (@sarinesemerjian_art on Instagram) grew up between the rich landscapes of Syria and Lebanon; and you can feel all three places in her work. She’s a self-taught multidisciplinary artist who blends drawing, movement, and sound to tap into the subconscious. Think surreal dreamscapes, instinctive marks, and gestures that feel like memories surfacing. Lately, she’s been treating the body as a landscape, weaving motifs from Armenia, Syria, and Lebanon into imagined terrains that hold both personal stories and shared history.
Sarine is also a boundary-pusher: she’s the first Syrian female artist to curate an exhibition centered on kinetic performance. Her pieces aren’t just seen; they’re felt—sensorial, emotional, and spiritual invitations to reconnect with the self. It’s intimate yet universal, tender yet powerful, and it leaves you wanting to know what she’ll reveal next.
Ahead of MENART (Oct 25-27), KHAMSA sat down with Sarine for an exclusive creative talk about her artistic journey and her participation in the fair; how her process evolved, why the body is her map, and what viewers can expect from this new chapter.
All images are courtesy of Sarine Semerjian.
١. Can you take us back to the moment you realized art was more than just a hobby for you?
Studying landscape architecture taught me to see the world through composition and detail, how every plant, every space carries a story, and I see that influence very much in my art today. After graduating, I considered working abroad, but the social and political chaos of 2019 pulled me back to Damascus, after years away.
Art was always part of my life, my parents painted, and my father’s constant support gave me the confidence to never stop creating, even in uncertain times.
But being back in Damascus, surrounded by its artistic community and rich history, awakened something deeper. What began as a passion became a calling when I was unexpectedly offered my first solo exhibition and performance just before the pandemic. In that moment of global instability, I found clarity:
Returning home made me realize who I truly am as an artist. Damascus gave me the courage to take risks, embrace discomfort, and fully claim my identity as an artist.
٢. Your first solo exhibition, “Into the Void,” combined painting with a live performance. How do movement and dance influence the way you paint?
Art and dance are two forms of expression that keep my soul alive. I first discovered the Latino dance community at AUB (American University of Beirut), and with time, that world deeply influenced the way I move with music, rhythm and flow became essential to how I carry myself. Music also guides my painting. In my studio, I often begin by listening, feeling, and dancing alone. The melody sets the atmosphere, and movement naturally translates into the work.
“Into the Void “ began during a university class called Body Movement in the Landscape, taught by Cornelia Kraft. She asked us to describe ourselves through a performance in front of the class.
I thought to myself, I dance, I draw—why not dance my drawings?
That love for dance and escape kept growing, and eventually I performed in Syria for the first time, alongside Walashi DJ. “Into the Void” became an exploration of the unknown, of diving into the unexplored. The moment I stepped onto the paper, my body became the pen, tracing the first marks, plunging into the void. Each performance became a poetic, sensual dialogue between body and gesture, an act of spontaneous feminine liberation, raw and unfiltered.
٣. MENART Fair’s theme this year explores “the strength found in softness and its mysterious power.” How does that idea resonate with your work and the way you portray the human form?
In my performances, softness reveals itself through vulnerability. The improvisation is intuitive, almost trance-like, a hypnotic dialogue between body, paper, and space that carries both me and the audience on a mystical voyage. It’s an act of exposure, where fragility transforms into power. That same energy lives in my paintings. With vibrant, pastel palettes and rounded forms, I evoke softness on the surface, yet beneath lie narratives shaped by displacement, conflict, and the search for identity. The human form often emerges fragmented or intertwined with nature, reflecting both refuge and resilience.
٤. Your pieces often blur the line between abstraction and figuration. Do you see this as a reflection of your multicultural background?
Growing up i was organically exposed to several distinct cultures which helped shape a unique character and flair in me.
I also never felt fully rooted in one place or identity, and that in between space naturally flows into my art.
My figures often dissolve into dreamlike landscapes, floating between presence and absence, belonging and displacement. In my new series, I create imagined realms that reshape lived experiences through a surreal, mystical lens, worlds suspended between reality and the subconscious.
٥. You’ve shown work in Damascus and participated in charity auctions with Syrian artists. How important is community and cultural connection in your practice?
Community and cultural connection have always been at the heart of my artistic journey. I first stepped into the art world through the Syrian art community, spontaneously holding my first solo show. During the pandemic, I felt a strong urge to give back, donating and auctioning my work to support causes in Syria, Lebanon, and Armenia. Later, when the war in Artsakh erupted, I co-organized a charity auction with two friends, raising $105,000 to help families in need.
Giving back through art has shaped my practice from the start, and my cultural ties and sense of community remain central to everything I create.
٦. What excites you most about bringing your work to MENART Fair and being part of this convergence of global collectors, curators, and creatives?
I’m thrilled that my first art fair experience will be at MENART, represented by Gallery Camille Pouyfaucon (@galerie_camillepouyfaucon on Instagram). Im excited to share my story with an international audience while staying rooted in the narratives of my region.
Coming from countries marked by war and conflict, I know how fragile “home” can be, which makes participating in a fair that amplifies voices from the MENA region and fosters solidarity especially meaningful.
Beyond visibility, I look forward to connecting with collectors, curators, and artists, and discovering the many ways others share their own stories.
٧. From your perspective, what makes the MENA’s creative scene so magnetic right now?
What makes the MENA region so magnetic is the depth and resilience of its stories.
Artists here create from places touched by conflict, displacement, and constant transformation, yet what emerges is not only pain but also beauty and strength.
There’s an urgency in the way we live and create a hunger to bite into life fully. The diversity of cultures, histories, and identities across the region makes the creative scene endlessly rich, layered, and impossible to ignore.
٨. Looking beyond MENART, what’s next for you? Are there concepts, mediums, or collaborations you’re eager to explore?
Beyond MENART, I’m focused on my next collection and looking for a residency where I can fully immerse myself and explore how movement and painting merge in a calmer environment. I also want to experiment with sculpture, collaborate with musicians to turn songs into drawings and create murals, most importantly i want keep expanding my clothing brand SAR LAND, ( aka my little la la land) , where I create wearable art pieces that tailor people’s souls into fabric.
