Juliana Seraphim

Juliana Seraphim (جوليانا سيرافيم; born 1934 in Jaffa) is a Palestinian-born painter. She was a refugee in the 1950s, and later lived in Lebanon.

Background
Seraphim was born in 1934 in Jaffa, Mandatory Palestine. She was among the first waves of displaced Palestinian refugees to move to Beirut, Lebanon in 1952. She was age 14 when her family fled first to Sidon (or Saida) in Southern Lebanon, by boat in 1949. After their move to Beirut, she worked in refugee relief while attending art classes.

Education and career
In Beirut, Seraphim developed her personal style and produced her most notable works. She privately studied with Lebanese painter Jean Khalifeh (1923–1978) and her first exhibitions took place in his studio. After studying at the Lebanese Fine Arts Academy and privately with other local contemporary artists, she began to show her work in solo exhibitions and gained recognition within Beirut. In her studies, she was awarded grants to study abroad in Madrid, Florence, and Spain. She then went on to internationally represent Lebanon in three biennials - Alexandria (1962), Paris (1963), and São Paulo (1967).

Visual language
Whereas her Lebanese contemporaries often take on a figurative style in order to demonstrate the central issues of the Palestinian struggle, Seraphim’s visual language is characterized as having complex layers of overlapping lines and improvisational dream-like imagery. In this way, Seraphim cultivates a shifting reality of infinite depth and creation. Her dream-like imagery also implies the unsteady nature of a long-held memory of a cherished place - and in doing so she transcribes her political concerns regarding her home through the lens of personal and surreal imagery while also encouraging the viewer to actively participate with the imagery presented. When asked, Seraphim cites the source of her surrealist imagery as memories of her childhood. She drew specific inspiration from the faded frescoes of winged beings on the ceiling of her grandfather's home, and former convent, in Jerusalem.

Exhibition history
Below is a selected list of Seraphim's exhibition history.


 * 1960: Internationale Art Gallery in Florence, Italy
 * 1961: La Licorne Art Gallery, Lebanon
 * 1964: Elie Garzouzi Art Gallery, Lebanon
 * 1965: Journal l'Orient Art Gallery, Lebanon
 * 1976: Journal l'Orient Art Gallery, Lebanon
 * 1969: Cassia Art Gallery, Lebanon
 * 1971: Samir Nassif Art Gallery, Lebanon
 * 1975: Brigitte Shehadeh Art Gallery, Lebanon
 * 1977: Tabet Art Gallery in Paris, France
 * 1978: Samia Toutoungi Art Gallery, Lebanon; “X” Art Gallery in Paris, France
 * 1979: Art 3 Art Gallery in Paris, France
 * 1980: National Gallery in Amman, Jordan
 * 1981: Bekhazi Art Gallery, Lebanon
 * 1983: Suzanne Pons Art Gallery in Cannes, France
 * 1985: Gulf Hotel Art Gallery, Qatar
 * 1987: La Toile Art Gallery in Rimal, Lebanon
 * 1988: La Toile Art Gallery in Rimal, Lebanon
 * 1989: Amadis Art Gallery in Madrid, Spain
 * 1990: Khayal Art Gallery in Ehden, Lebanon
 * 1991: Hotel Chahba-Cham Art Gallery in Aleppo, Syria
 * 1992: Station des Arts Gallery, Lebanon