The paintings of Tamar Rubinstein (b. Tel Aviv, 2001) explore the codependent relationship between the self and its environment, the tension between mental and physical distance, experiences of detachment and isolation, and the search for belonging. 

Tamar uses a range of devices to capture the emotional truth of lived realities; the heaviness and intensity of her palette is balanced with lighter tones and a technique approximating airbrushing but achieved by hand. The characters of her paintings are situated in surroundings and attended by props which are instantly compelling but, upon closer inspection, reveal deeper narratives. Tamar’s rendering of the human form draws from how the behaviour of shows across the surfaces on which they’re cast, drawing parallels with how we constantly adjust both mentally and physically to our surroundings. 

Her figures exist in a moment that never ends - a suspended stillness where time feels stretched and heavy. Their weight anchors them in place, as if movement is no longer an option. They are suspended in the now, with a stillness that holds both tension and a kind of quiet intimacy, a long embrace. Within that immobility, the visual quietness invites viewers to settle into the painting, to sit with it and find a subtle, familiar comfort within it.

Tamar graduated from the BA in Fine Art at University of the Arts London in 2024, and has been accepted on the Silver Art Project residency in New York for 2025-26.

Email: info@studiotamarrubinstein.com

Instagram: @rubinstein_tamar