Tarot is an art form: it requires sensitivity, intuition, and a deep attentiveness to inner narratives.
Art entered my life naturally through writing, and since then, I paint in the mornings and write in the evenings — the two are inseparable.
Can you tell us about your background and how your artistic practice began, especially your drawings made of letters?
Ariel Sibony: I studied literature, and my art is a continuation of my writing. I never formally studied art; my practice is instinctive and abstract. I explore language—English, Hebrew, Arabic—and merge them visually. I remove meaning from words so that writing becomes pure form. I see my work as both artistic and philosophical research.
How did growing up in a literary family shape your relationship with art?
Ariel Sibony: As a child, I imitated my father, who was a writer. Before I could write, I doodled and pretended I was working like him. My early scribbles resemble my work today. Although I once rejected my background, art entered my life naturally through writing. I paint in the morning and write at night; the two are inseparable. Being the only visual artist in my family feels both bold and slightly rebellious.
Can you tell us about one of your books?
Ariel Sibony: My novel Coraco explores the relationship between body and mind through two sisters: one a ballet dancer obsessed with her body, the other paralyzed by a degenerative disease. One lives through movement, the other through stillness. The novel reflects on how we inhabit our bodies and live with the awareness of death.
Can you tell us about the art collection in your home?
Ariel Sibony: I grew up surrounded by art. Artists visited often and exchanged works with my father. Art was always alive and evolving. To me, artworks feel like presences. I need art around me—it gives life to a space.
You also practice tarot reading. Tarot combines intuition, structure, and storytelling. Does that resonate with your artistic approach?
Ariel Sibony: Absolutely. Tarot is an art form. It requires sensitivity, psychology, and intuition. I grew up with psychoanalysts. My parents are psychoanalysts, and I have been in analysis for many years myself.
