Born in 1973 in Beirut and originally from Qatar, Iman Al Kawari lives and works in Paris. A Fine Arts graduate of George Washington University (USA), her work is shaped by a cosmopolitan background and an enduring quest for origins.
Long separated from her homeland, Al Kawari explores Qatari heritage and identity through her painting, conjuring an Orient both intimate and dreamed. Fascinated by fashion, she turns traditional dress into a space of visual experimentation: draped cloth, lines, folds, colors, and textures become the vocabulary of a nuanced formal exploration. Sister to two brothers and mother of four boys, Al Kawari draws much of her inspiration from the male figures around her.
"When I paint the headdress, I am actually representing the character of the wearer. The folds of the ghutra and the movement of the agal are my visual interpretation of the persona. And that is what matters most to me."
In her paintings, silhouettes oscillate between stillness and motion. By concealing the faces, the artist transcends the individual narrative to explore the vulnerability and universality of human connection. In her recent works, the textile exploration expands into the vastness of the landscape. The folds of fabric transform into dunes and mineral contours, until body and territory become one. Traditional attire thus becomes the point of departure for a poetic geography, suspended between human presence and desert immensity.
Her work is regularly exhibited at the Salon des Beaux-Arts (SNBA) in Paris, where she was awarded the Jury Prize in 2022 (160th edition, Orangerie du Sénat), with subsequent exhibitions in 2024 a nd 2026. She has also taken part in a group exhibition at the Egyptian Cultural Center in Paris.