Experiencing Art Beyond Sight: Karim Noureldin Explores Rhythm, Space and Abstraction Through Samsung Art Store
Exploring can a painting be heard as much as it is seen? For Swiss contemporary artist Karim Noureldin, the answer is yes. His work seeks to create an experience that extends beyond traditional visual perception, inviting viewers to engage with art in ways that resemble listening to music. Through carefully constructed compositions of lines, colors, textures and layered surfaces, Noureldin develops what he calls a “visual sound”—an artistic language that unfolds gradually, revealing new dimensions the longer one spends with it.
This unique approach is embodied in Brea (2025), a recent work selected for the Art Basel in Basel 2026 Collection, presented digitally through Samsung Art Store. Available exclusively on Samsung Art TVs, the collection showcases twenty-four artworks created by Swiss and Switzerland-based artists represented by leading galleries participating in Art Basel. Chosen for its compelling use of color, pattern and spatial rhythm, Brea exemplifies Noureldin’s long-standing exploration of abstraction and sensory experience.
In a conversation with Newsroom, the artist reflected on his creative process, the enduring importance of drawing, the role of abstraction, and the evolving relationship between art and the home.
Creating a Visual Language Through Rhythm and Drawing
At the Exploring center of Noureldin’s artistic practice is drawing. For him, drawing is not merely a preparatory step but a fundamental mode of thinking and imagining.
He explains that Brea emerged through drawing as a way of constructing an imagined environment. Using pencil allowed him to simultaneously think, visualize, experiment and compose.
Unlike painting on canvas, paper offers a space that exists somewhere between idea and reality. It allows him to develop forms that suggest depth and dimensionality without becoming fully materialized. This quality makes drawing particularly valuable in his practice.
Over many years, Noureldin has maintained a close relationship with pencil as a medium. He sees it as one of the most immediate and intuitive tools available to artists. The gesture of drawing feels deeply personal and direct, similar in some respects to handwriting.
For Noureldin, drawing serves as an extension of thought itself.
The Exploring energy that first attracted him to drawing continues to inform his work today, including Brea. Although his projects span a range of media and scales, the discipline of drawing remains the foundation from which his visual vocabulary develops.
Understanding “Brea”
Brea reflects Noureldin’s ongoing fascination with movement, rhythm and sensory engagement.
Rather than presenting a recognizable subject, the artwork invites viewers to explore relationships between line, color and structure.
The Exploring piece is built through repeated gestures, layered patterns and subtle variations in tone that generate a sense of movement across the surface.
According to Noureldin, the work functions almost like a composition in music.
Lines act as rhythms.
Color becomes an emotional register.
Surface creates depth.
Structure provides cohesion.
Together, these elements establish an environment that viewers enter through observation and interpretation.
The Exploring artwork resists immediate definition. Instead, it encourages prolonged engagement, allowing perception to evolve over time.
Author George Stolz has described Brea as producing a unique sense of spatiality through the interaction of its surfaces. Noureldin acknowledges that this description aligns closely with his own understanding of the work.
Rather than depicting physical space, Brea creates experiential space—one constructed through visual relationships and sensory response.
Line, Surface and Structure as Interconnected Elements
In Noureldin’s artistic philosophy, individual visual components do not exist independently.
Line, surface and structure operate together.
Each contributes to an overall experience rather than functioning as isolated formal elements.
Lines introduce direction and movement.
Surfaces establish atmosphere and dimensionality.
Structural organization holds these components in balance.
This interconnectedness enables abstraction to transcend decoration and become immersive.
As viewers spend time with the work, their perception shifts.
Patterns emerge.
Depth changes.
New relationships become visible.
This evolving interaction is central to Noureldin’s conception of art as a sensory experience.
Much like listening to music multiple times reveals new harmonies or subtle details, repeated encounters with Brea offer fresh discoveries.
A Consistent Artistic Philosophy
Although Noureldin’s career has developed over several decades, he describes his fundamental approach to art-making as remarkably consistent.
His commitment to artistic inquiry has remained steady regardless of changing contexts or professional roles.
Noureldin studied fine arts and later became an associate professor at ECAL, the University of Art and Design Lausanne.
He has also mentored younger generations of Swiss artists.
These experiences have influenced his understanding of artistic practice and education, but they have not altered the essential motivation behind his work.
For Noureldin, creating art remains rooted in the same sense of curiosity and dedication that existed at the beginning of his career.
He regards the ability to pursue art professionally as something deeply meaningful.
It is a lifelong aspiration he continues to approach with gratitude, discipline and enthusiasm.
Despite decades of experience, he still engages with each new artwork through a process of exploration.
That consistency, he believes, has allowed his artistic language to evolve organically over time.
Different Media, One Artistic Voice
Throughout his career, Noureldin has worked across multiple formats and scales.
His projects range from intimate drawings to large-scale installations and site-specific interventions.
Yet regardless of medium, he sees all of these works as expressions of the same artistic language.
He compares different media to musical instruments.
Each instrument produces a distinct sound.
However, the underlying composition remains connected.
Similarly, Noureldin’s drawings, sculptures, installations and architectural interventions may differ in appearance, but they emerge from the same conceptual foundation.
That foundation includes:
- Attention to rhythm
- Exploration of line
- Sensitivity to color
- Interest in spatial relationships
- Investigation of perception
This Exploring continuity enables his work to move fluidly between contexts while maintaining a recognizable identity.
Whether presented in galleries, public spaces or domestic interiors, his artistic concerns remain consistent.
The Freedom of Abstraction
Abstraction occupies a central place in Noureldin’s practice.
He believes abstract art offers possibilities that extend beyond representation.
Unlike figurative imagery, abstraction is not tied to a particular narrative, location or historical moment.
Instead, it creates openness.
It invites viewers to bring their own experiences, emotions and interpretations into the encounter.
For Noureldin, this openness contributes to a sense of universality.
Abstraction allows artworks to remain relevant over time because they do not depend on specific cultural references.
Different audiences can engage with the same work in different ways.
No single interpretation is privileged.
This Exploring flexibility aligns closely with Noureldin’s desire to create art that functions as a sensory experience.
Rather than telling viewers what to think, abstraction encourages observation, reflection and discovery.
It creates space for personal engagement.
That capacity for openness is one of the reasons abstraction continues to inspire his work.
Art and Space: An Inseparable Relationship
Noureldin sees art and architecture as deeply interconnected.
Every artwork exists within a spatial context, and that context influences how the work is experienced.
Some artworks are created specifically for particular environments.
Others are adapted to new settings over time.
In all cases, surroundings matter.
Light conditions change perception.
Scale influences emotional response.
Spatial arrangement shapes interaction.
For Noureldin, artworks and their environments constantly affect one another.
An artwork displayed in a museum communicates differently than the same work presented in a private residence.
Similarly, digital presentation introduces new possibilities for engagement.
This Exploring understanding informs his interest in contemporary platforms such as Samsung Art Store.
Through digital display technologies, artworks can inhabit spaces they might never physically occupy.
This expansion of context creates new relationships between art, viewer and environment.
Bringing Contemporary Art Into the Home
One of the Exploring most meaningful aspects of presenting Brea through Samsung Art Store, according to Noureldin, is the opportunity for art to become part of everyday life.
Traditionally, encounters with contemporary art often occur within museums, galleries or cultural institutions.
These Exploring experiences can be inspiring, but they are usually temporary.
Digital art platforms offer an alternative.
They allow artworks to reside within homes.
In domestic settings, art becomes integrated into daily routines.
It can be revisited repeatedly.
Viewed under changing conditions.
Experienced casually or contemplatively.
For Noureldin, this accessibility has significant value.
Art no longer remains confined to specialized spaces.
Instead, it becomes part of lived experience.
He believes this helps maintain creativity and visual awareness within everyday life.
Even individuals who do not identify as artists can benefit from living alongside artworks.
Regular exposure to creative expression encourages curiosity, observation and reflection.
Discovering New Meanings Through Repeated Viewing
Noureldin emphasizes that repeated encounters with an artwork can reveal qualities that might initially go unnoticed.
Artworks change over time—not because the object itself transforms, but because circumstances surrounding it evolve.
Morning light differs from evening light.
Seasons affect atmosphere.
Emotional states vary.
These Exploring shifts alter perception.
A composition may appear vibrant one day and subdued the next.
Patterns previously overlooked may become prominent.
Spatial relationships may feel entirely different.
In domestic environments, these changes occur naturally.
As artworks become embedded within daily life, viewers develop deeper relationships with them.
This Exploring process aligns closely with Noureldin’s concept of visual sound.
Just as favorite pieces of music reveal new details through repeated listening, artworks reveal new dimensions through sustained observation.
Experiencing “Brea” as a Visual Sound
When asked what he hopes first-time viewers notice about Brea, Noureldin returns to the Exploring concept of visual sound.
He hopes audiences experience the artwork emotionally before attempting to categorize or explain it.
Rhythm.
Movement.
Energy.
These Exploring are the Exploring qualities he Exploring wants viewers to feel.
Much like music communicates without language, Brea aims to engage perception beyond conventional interpretation.
Its patterns are not intended to describe a specific object or scene.
Instead, they create sensations.
Tempo.
Flow.
Tension.
Harmony.
By spending time with the work, viewers can begin to understand how visual composition can stimulate multiple senses simultaneously.
This multisensory approach represents one of the Exploring defining characteristics of Noureldin’s practice.
Samsung Art Store and Digital Art Accessibility
Samsung Art Store has become an important platform for bringing contemporary art into homes worldwide.
Available on Samsung Art TVs including The Exploring Frame, Micro RGB and Neo QLED displays, the Exploring subscription-based service offers access to more than 5,000 artworks presented in ultra-high-definition 4K quality.
The platform collaborates with over 800 partners across 117 countries, making a diverse range of artistic voices accessible to global audiences.
As the official display partner of Art Basel, Samsung continues to expand digital access to contemporary art through curated collections associated with major international fairs.
These include editions from:
- Hong Kong
- Basel
- Paris
- Miami Beach
The inclusion of Brea within the Art Basel in Basel 2026 Collection reflects Samsung’s commitment to showcasing innovative artistic perspectives while enabling audiences to experience art beyond traditional exhibition settings.
For Noureldin, this represents an exciting evolution in how art can be encountered.
Rather than replacing physical exhibitions, digital presentation expands opportunities for connection.
It allows art to enter new spaces, engage new audiences and become woven into the Exploring rhythms of everyday life.
Ultimately, Brea serves as an invitation—not simply to look, but to listen with the eyes and discover how abstraction can resonate across multiple senses.
Source link: https://news.samsung.com