I started painting this painting with the desire to escape reality and discover a new world. As I explored my thoughts, I often painted spirals, as if seeking something unknown in my unconscious.

Meriem Zenaini

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I’m Meriem Zenaini, a Canadian artist originally from Algeria. I came to Canada at 12, in 1998, and had to adapt to a culture very different from my own. I was a sensitive, imaginative child, and my love for art began early—cutting pieces from my mother’s dresses to make clothes for my dolls. Adolescence, shaped by migration, became a search for identity. I lost touch with art during those years and only found my way back to it as an adult, after working in finance. A manic episode, part of living with bipolar disorder, reawakened something in me. Later, depression showed me that art could be a lifeline, a way to process emotions and come home to myself. My paintings are how I navigate this journey. They help me explore who I am and what it means to be human. I try to embrace every part of my experience, even the hardest ones. In the darkness, I often find the most meaning.