Artist Profile of Salwa Zeidan

Biography

Salwa Zeidan was born in the Bekaa valley where she grew up alongside a father who instilled poetry into the family. His profound involvement with literature and art brought her closer to the realm of self-expression and later encouraged her to pursue her interest in painting. Zeidan is a self-taught artist who dedicated herself to learning art history through private lessons with well known artists and lectures at the Lebanese American University of Beirut . She also entrenched herself further through books and personal visits to hundreds of museums and art exhibitions for artists from around the world. Her journey helped her acquire a progressive and personal technique that has become recognized in the art scene and has earned her multiple awards. Salwa began exhibiting her works in 1989, today; her paintings can be found in Galleries and private collections around the world including USA , Canada, Switzerland, Italy, France, London, Spain , Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia , Kuwait and Lebanon to name a few.

In 1999, the Royal Academy of Science International in London invited Salwa to hold an exhibition dedicated to peace and entitled “Culture for Peace”. Since then, Salwa has become an active endorser of peace; she dedicates all her private exhibitions to the cause and recently became the Ambassador of the Global Peace Marker Project (GPMP) in Lebanon .

Her abstract work stems from her spiritual and peaceful nature and reflects her strong spiritual beliefs and ongoing search for inner light.

Zeidan works out of her atelier in Broumana , Lebanon . She is a member in the following organizations:

Association of Artists Beirut , Lebanon Association Art Confrontation, France . Association Exit Art , New York . IAC, Barcelona , Spain . Special Advisor for the AIAP UNESCO, France. Peace Ambassador of World Peace marker Project , USA Byblos International Contemporary Art & Culture Association

Artist statement

‘In my paintings I try to diversify my perception of my experiences, my concerns, anxieties, confusions and inner questioning. They all become a spiritual and emotional source of energy that I release while I am working. I use my work as a means to improve, evolve and purify myself as an individual because I believe that painting can be used as a medium for self-discovery. My recent works are simpler as I no longer feel the need to include multiple details to fill my paintings. As a result, they have become clearer and more transparent. I tend to use the color black in most of my work as I feel it possesses an inspirational and symbolic power that other colors do not have. White takes up most of each painting and it represents light, and light is the most beautiful energy ever created. I think that my liberal approach to life and my desire to experiment have influenced my artistic evolution. I also believe that my Arab roots and desire to learn about the various cultures that exist have enriched my vision and understanding of the world around me and have infiltrated my work in a great way. I do not like to explain my painting and if I did it would not be useful. To me, art can never be explained. It is like dreaming; a translation of our deepest inner needs. A real work of art will always remain a hesitant and uncertain attempt by the artist to translate his inner mysterious world and his attempt will always be the symbol of a truth that cannot be fully described by words.’

Salwa Zeidan

Self-taught artist, born in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon.Member of the Association of Artists Beirut , Lebanon . Member of the Association Art Confrontation, France . Member of the Association Exit Art , New York . Member and Special Advisor for the AIAP UNESCO, France.

Art Director for Byblos International Contemporary Art & Culture Association. Peace Ambassador for Lebanon by World Peace Marker Project (WPMP), USA .