Simone Marie Farah (b. 1977) is a South African artist of Lebanese descent, working primarily with oil paint and gilding. With a background in communication and religious studies, she transitioned to being a full-time artist in 2014 after a successful corporate career. This shift was driven by personal loss, which led her to re-examine her life’s purpose and commit to pursuing art as a means of exploring identity, spirituality, and mortality.
Primarily self-taught, she refined her skills at the Lorenzo de’ Medici Institute in Florence, Italy, focusing on Renaissance and fresco techniques. Her work has been exhibited across South Africa and internationally in countries such as France, Italy, Switzerland, Spain, the USA, Lebanon, and the UAE. A recent highlight of her career was completing a three-month residency at Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris, an experience that challenged her to push the boundaries of her practice and experiment with new methods of expression.
By layering, constructing, and deconstructing materials, Simone creates works that explore the fragility and complexity of the human condition, often inspired by spirituality, culture, and the transformative power of creation. Her journey as an artist has been shaped by personal growth and a desire to understand her evolving relationship with mortality.
Simone is currently based in Johannesburg, where she continues to develop her abstract and process-driven approach to art.
2016 | Fine Art | Lorenzo De’ Medici | Florence, Italy
Fresco and Resoration | Lorenzo Casamenti
Historical Painting | Gregory Burney
Advanced Painting | Martin Figura
Etching | Lucy Jochamowitz
2010 | MBA | University of Cape Town – Graduate School of Business | South Africa
2001 | BA English and Religious Traditions | University of Cape Town | South Africa
