[访谈] 感官艺术Karim Noureldin与三星艺术商店

"Space and art, as well as artworks and their built surroundings, are inexorably related to each other."

– Karim Noureldin, contemporary artist

Can a work of visual art be experienced as sound? For Karim Noureldin, it undeniably can. The Swiss artist creates abstract compositions that guide the eye across the canvas like rhythmic music, unveiling layers of detail the longer you gaze. He calls this "a visual sound," a concept born from drawing and echoed across his work through line, color, surface and space.

Noureldin's "Brea" (2025) will be displayed digitally as part of the new Art Basel in Basel 2026 Collection, a vailable exclusively on Samsung Art Store. This collection features 24 works by Swiss and Switzerland-based artists from eight galleries participating in the fair. "Brea" was selected for its distinctive color palette and bold pattern—hallmarks of Noureldin's practice. Samsung Newsroom sat down with Noureldin to explore drawing, abstraction, and how art transforms when brought into the home.

The Sensory Language of “Brea”

▲ "Brea" (2025) reflects Noureldin’s interest in line, color and rhythm, creating what he describes as "a visual sound." Photo by Finn Curry, courtesy of the artist and von Bartha.

Q. "Brea" (2025) is part of the Art Basel in Basel 2026 Collection on Samsung Art Store. What can you share about the process behind this work?

"Brea" began with the act of drawing as a way to construct an imagined space. I used pencil because drawing allows me to think, plan, imagine and picture all at once. I’ve worked with pencil for a long time and still find it one of the most direct ways to start an idea. The motion of drawing also feels akin to writing by hand.

Working on paper lets me see a space that isn’t fully physical yet. For me, it’s easier to create a three-dimensional world this way than by painting on canvas. That’s why drawing has remained central to my practice. Its energy has been with me since the beginning of my artistic journey and is present in "Brea."

▲ Noureldin works with colored pencil to build spatial density with repeated lines and shifts in color. Photo by Ariel Huber, courtesy of the artist and von Bartha.

Q. How do line, surface and structure work together in "Brea"?

In "Brea," line, structure and surface are not separate elements—they build on each other. The lines create movement, the surfaces generate depth, and the structure holds it all together. Through this interplay, the work begins to feel like a space the viewer enters via their own perception. Writer George Stolz described "Brea" as creating a kind of spatiality through the way its surfaces converge. That aligns closely with how I see it.

▲ Karim Noureldin’s practice begins with drawing, a medium he describes as a way to think, plan, imagine and picture at the same time. Photo by Ariel Huber, courtesy of the artist and von Bartha.

Defining a Spatial Language

Q. How has your approach to making art stayed the same over time?

My approach has remained consistent through a steady commitment to the work. I studied fine arts, later served as an associate professor at ECAL/University of Arts and Design Lausanne, and ha ve mentored younger Swiss artists. These experiences shaped my thinking about art but didn’t change why I make it. I still approach each piece with the same motivation and focus I had early on. Being able to make art is something I always dreamed of doing, and I continue with dedication and gratitude.

▲ Noureldin’s works speak to each other through line, surface and scale. Photo by Finn Curry, courtesy of the artist and von Bartha.

Q. What connects the different forms you work in?

No matter the form, my work applies the same abstract language and creative process to different media. I often think of each medium as a different instrument. The sound changes, but the composition comes from the same source. The works can be small or large scale, site-specific or standalone. What connects them is the same attention to line, color, rhythm and space.

Q. What does abstraction allow you to do?

Abstraction allows for timelessness and universality. It’s not fixed to one subject or moment. It remains open, so each viewer can meet the work through their own perception.

"Being able to make art is something I always dreamed of doing and I continue to do it with dedication and gratitude."

Q. How do you think about the relationship between an artwork and the place where it is seen?

Space and art, as well as artworks and their built surroundings, are inexorably linked. Whether a work was created for a specific site, placed within one or simply viewed there, each condition shapes what it can express and do.

▲ Presented on The Frame at Samsung Art Store’s Art Basel in Basel 2026 exhibition, "Brea" brings Noureldin’s visual language into a digital viewing experience. Courtesy of Samsung Electronics.

How Art Forms Unity Within a Home

"When we ha ve art in our homes, it becomes part of one’s daily life."

Q. What feels meaningful to you about viewers encountering your work at home through Samsung Art TV?

Living with art returns it to a private, personal space. With Samsung Art TVs, the work moves from the artist’s studio into a home, where it can be experienced daily rather than only during a museum visit. It helps keep visual creativity top of mind for everyone, even those who aren’t artists.

Q. When an artwork becomes part of the home, what can repeated viewing reveal that might not be noticed at first?

When art is in our homes, it becomes part of daily life and changes with the conditions around it. Different times of day, varied lighting, or shifting moods can all alter how a piece appears over time. These small details can transform a work, making it a unified element of the home.

Q. Samsung Art Store will introduce your work to some viewers who may not know your practice yet. What would you hope they notice first in "Brea"?

I hope they first notice "Brea" as a visual sound—a composition that can be felt through rhythm and movement, much like music without words. Before trying to define it, I hope they spend time with every element of its structure to understand how it speaks to more than one sense.

Samsung Art Store is an art subscription service a vailable on Samsung Art TVs including The Frame, Micro RGB and Neo QLED, offering more than 5,000 works in 4K resolution from more than 800 partners across 117 countries. As Art Basel’s official display partner, Samsung Electronics offers another way to experience contemporary art beyond the fair through exclusive digital collections featuring artists from Art Basel’s Hong Kong, Basel, Paris and Miami Beach editions.

To experience "Brea" and the rest of the Art Basel in Basel 2026 Collection, visit a Samsung Art Store on your compatible Samsung TV today.