I’ve been trying to understand how our minds and hearts are intertwined. We have this belief that our minds with their vast maps of connections and hidden routes, drive our thoughts and actions in a very logical manner. But there is a much more powerful and intuitive drive in the heart or the gut that is mysterious but somehow just “knows” what is right.

While one system is quick, based on instinct and feels like the subconscious is cooking years of experience in a split second, the other is much slower, conscious and more analytical. Yet we sometimes find it difficult, having to believe our gut feeling over the more analytical and calculated answer.

Trusting your gut can be a very scary and risky feeling, but our body is trying to tell us something, and I believe we should trust it and have faith that it comes from something deep. We might not be able to put our hands on it but it’s something so powerful we feel.

With painting, I always enter the studio with a mix of feelings that I can’t identify, I sometimes feel excited to start a painting but sometimes I find myself worried, hesitant and uneasy. But as soon as I hold my brush and start applying those first brushstrokes something happens and all those feelings start pouring all over the canvas.

I believe that this first stage of the painting is the most raw, unfiltered, honest, and vulnerable. I noticed that as the painting progresses, I start to take a step back and look at the canvas as if I didn’t paint it, my conscious mind steps in, trying to understand and connect the lines. I then start finding the harmony and balance within the painting and checking with my gut, does this “feel” right? The answer is often no, and I feel like I’ve ruined it and start to feel like this isn’t working out at all and very often this painting would never see the light of day. But I keep applying more and more layers until I reach a point where I absolutely love it and I have to stop right there.

“Somehow, art works out like life, so many layers and thoughts and feelings overlapping, and eventually flowing together to tell my story.” –Dina Targam

About the Artist

Contemporary Egyptian Artist Dina Targam was born in Egypt, and currently works and lives in Cairo. She Holds a Bachelor of Science in Architectural Engineering and a Bachelor of Visual Art from the American University in Cairo in 2012.

From a young age she wasn’t the one who spilled out her heart but it was only the canvas that allowed her to truly vent her emotions freely without having to describe or justify them before

Targam’s paintings typically do not follow a set plan or logical process. She actively relies on her emotions and subconscious mind to direct her. She attempts to silence the mind and let her soul guide the shades of color and choice of brush strokes. Although at times the process seems random and arbitrary, but as soon as she starts it just flows smoothly as if it was planned all the way. Her abstract style is intuitive, personal and exposed, leaving you reminiscing within each piece.

Since 2016, Targam has been active in the art scene, presenting over 5 solo shows and participating in over 10 collective exhibitions in Cairo, Florence, Lipzig, and Madrid