My work stems from a constant fascination with what lies beyond what we see. I am drawn to coincidences, unusual encounters, feelings of déjà vu, dreams, and objects that hold stories. I am especially interested in the small decisions that—although apparently insignificant—can alter the course of life. I like to imagine that reality has layers we don’t always perceive.
That is why I create everyday scenes and weave in an element that doesn’t quite fit: an animal in an unlikely setting, a figure following a trail, or a glimmer suggesting something is happening out of sight. Each painting features a subtle anomaly that sparks curiosity and alludes to a hidden story.
My work began during the pandemic, when boundaries between interior and exterior spaces shifted radically. This inspired me to imagine environments where nature, animals, and daily life coexist in unforeseen ways. My experience in architecture, design, and classical dance shapes these places, which I conceive as miniature stage sets. I work primarily with acrylic paint to create atmospheres that feel familiar yet slightly out of place.
Water and shades of blue appear frequently, evoking my connection to the sea in my home country. To me, water represents depth, movement, and life. Light also plays a narrative role; for example, in a series about forced migration from Syria to Sweden, I used it to explore displacement, memory, and resilience, engaging with experiences that are not accessible to everyone.
Humor, tenderness, and a touch of mischief are fundamental to my artistic language. They allow me to address themes such as uncertainty, memories of loved ones, longing, and the future without making them feel overly solemn. Certain characters—such as the detective fish that appears in various scenes—act as explorers: they travel, observe, search for clues, and encounter situations they may not be able to explain.
I aim first to evoke warmth, delicacy, or a sense of the uncanny, and then leave behind a question: What happened here? What is about to unfold? What does that character know that I don’t? I don’t seek to offer a single interpretation. Instead, I want to leave room for each person to complete the story with their own imagination. In this way, I hope that, after viewing the images, a simple yet unsettling feeling lingers: that even in daily life, something unseen remains—a clue we might overlook or a possibility still waiting to be discovered.