Zeena Sileem, a contemporary artist based in Toronto, creates vibrant, emotionally charged works that delve into themes drawn from the unconscious, expressed in unconventional ways. Her art embraces the contradictions of life, love and war, music and stillness, demonstrating a striking versatility.
By deconstructing conventional notions of beauty and ugliness, Zeena seeks out essential truths through bold lines and layered symbolism. Her work captivates the viewer, pulling them in through a portal of the bulging eye, an entryway to alternative perceptions and surreal imagery. Floating umbrellas, fish bearing messages from an aquatic world, and obsessively intertwined fingers speak in an overwhelming visual language, coalescing into a scene both coherent and open to multiple interpretations.
Through her studies at the University of Baghdad and decades of artistic exploration, Zeena has cultivated a distinctive style and technique, marked by expressive brushstrokes and a masterful grasp of light and composition.
Her work has been showcased in solo exhibitions such as “The Colour of Music” (An Artist’s Project, Toronto, 2022–2023), “The Umbrella” (Toronto, 2017), “Distant Love” (Toronto, 2016), and “Ladies of the Seasons” (Montreal, 2011), as well as in numerous international group shows.
As a practicing artist, Zeena’s work transcends traditional boundaries, inviting viewers into a magical realm where vivid color and surreal symbolism reveal hidden beauty and reimagine reality with emotional and visual intensity.