Samir Tamari is a Lebanese artist who was born in Beirut. Tamari began creating art as a young boy, painting and drawing from the age of seven. He later went on to study art and advertising techniques in Montreal, Canada.
Tamari cites the village of Saghbine in Western Bekaa, where he regularly spent boyhood summers, as a key influence in his work, providing him with his creative vision and the foundations for both his color palette and the shapes he produces in his paintings, which span both figurative and abstract art.
His style has that kind of delightful
awkwardness, especially in the Figurative series, it is sincere, fresh, with real life messages and analogies.
It narrates the gray sides of life in a personal pleasant way, creating a balanced contrast between content and format.
It is like applying a soothing balm over a sour topic.
Tamari’s distinctive style is particularly evident in his figurative work, which features fun, colorful, almost cartoon-like characters, complete with signature-style round eyes and detailed clothing or accessories, in an everyday, functional or narrative setup. The protagonists and scenarios may look light-hearted, but there is always an underlying message or idea in Tamari’s art, put out there like a join-the-dots game, engaging the viewer to grasp the message.
“I do not paint as a technician, but as an interpreter of the soul,” Tamari articulates, illuminating his unique artistic ethos. Each work functions as a visual enigma, obliging the viewer to decipher underlying, cryptic messages.
The artist currently lives and works in Beirut, and participated in several exhibitions that took place in Beirut, in June 2017, June 2018, October 2018, December 2019, June 2022, August 2022 LAU New York auction, September 2023.
” “REFRESH” is an invitation through ideas and colors to embrace life with lightness and joy since our destiny is already set, we’d better enjoy life and appreciate every moment as it comes.
Don’t take life too seriously, since we’re only commuters on this life train, instead enjoy the little moments, celebrate with loved ones as much as you can “
