Karima Ben Otman was born in London 1972 of Libyan - Jordanian origin.
At the age of seven she was awarded a special prize at Highfield High, Maidenhead for her creativity.
In 1981 she moved to Jordan with her family where she learnt Arabic and the culture of Islam. This later on became a great influence in her work, especially the Arabic calligraphy.

In 1991 she attended a semester in Fine Art at Bishop's University, Lennox Ville, Canada. In 1992 She started her official art education at The Academy of Fine Arts in Florence, Italy. In 1994 She enrolled for her 3rd.year at The Academy of fine Arts in Bologna, Italy and in 1998 she graduated with a 109/110 from The Academy of Brera in Milan, Italy.

From 1999 to 2002 she lived in Jordan where she established her career as a professional artist. There she took part in several group and solo exhibitions and her work was described by the local press as " A new school of art ". The National Museum of Contemporary Art of Jordan acquired many of her paintings for their permanent collection. Through the museum her work has been exhibited
all over Europe and the United States.

From 2005 to 2006 she lived in Paris, where she enriched her knowledge of art and the great masters.

In 2006 she moved to Limassol, Cyprus where she opened her own gallery and has continued to exhibit her work.

Karima Ben Otman's work can be described as Modern-Symbolic Expressionism.
Through her paintings she depicts life and humanity in a very simple yet playful way. Known for her strong outline and vivid colours she tackles the pure concept of existence, usually choosing to represent the more beautiful and joyous side of life such as love and harmony. Through her imagination she creates a parallel world that promises hope and rejuvenation. This parallel world can be clearly seen in her fish paintings which she started creating in 1992 and have remained a popular theme in her work since then.

Solo Exhibitions:

1993 Cabiria Cafe', " Faces and Masks" Florence, Italy.
1996 Artist Studio, " Reflections from the past" Limassol, Cyprus.
1997 Spazio New Age, " Me, myself and I" Milan, Italy.
1999 Artist Studio, " Images" Amman, Jordan.
2000 Dar Alanda Gallery," The Face" Amman, Jordan.
2000 Bluefig Cafe', " Solo" Amman, Jordan.
2004 The Evolution of life - 195 kings, Road, London, UK
2004 Retrospective - shell headquarters, London, UK

Group Exhibitions:

1993 The Rex Gallery, "Harmony and the Mood" Florence.
1993 Academy of Fine Arts, Annual students exhibition, Florence.
1994 Bologna Art Fair, " End and Over" Bologna.
1994 Glashaus Gallery, " Effetto Serra" Burgkirchen, Germany.
1997 Spazio New Age, " Colour Paradise" Milan, Italy.
1997 Brera, Annual students exhibition, Milan, Italy.
2002 Contemporary Arab artist - Zara Gallery, Amman, Jordan.
2002-2003 Breaking the veils: women artist for Islamic world - Benaki, Museum, Athens, Greece.
2004 Made in Clerkenwell Summer 2004, London, UK.

Karima Ben Otman was born in London 1972 of Libyan - Jordanian origin.
At the age of seven she was awarded a special prize at Highfield High, Maidenhead for her creativity.
In 1981 she moved to Jordan with her family where she learnt Arabic and the culture of Islam. This later on became a great influence in her work, especially the Arabic calligraphy.

In 1991 she attended a semester in Fine Art at Bishop's University, Lennox Ville, Canada. In 1992 She started her official art education at The Academy of Fine Arts in Florence, Italy. In 1994 She enrolled for her 3rd.year at The Academy of fine Arts in Bologna, Italy and in 1998 she graduated with a 109/110 from The Academy of Brera in Milan, Italy.

From 1999 to 2002 she lived in Jordan where she established her career as a professional artist. There she took part in several group and solo exhibitions and her work was described by the local press as " A new school of art ". The National Museum of Contemporary Art of Jordan acquired many of her paintings for their permanent collection. Through the museum her work has been exhibited
all over Europe and the United States.

From 2005 to 2006 she lived in Paris, where she enriched her knowledge of art and the great masters.

In 2006 she moved to Limassol, Cyprus where she opened her own gallery and has continued to exhibit her work.

Karima Ben Otman's work can be described as Modern-Symbolic Expressionism.
Through her paintings she depicts life and humanity in a very simple yet playful way. Known for her strong outline and vivid colours she tackles the pure concept of existence, usually choosing to represent the more beautiful and joyous side of life such as love and harmony. Through her imagination she creates a parallel world that promises hope and rejuvenation. This parallel world can be clearly seen in her fish paintings which she started creating in 1992 and have remained a popular theme in her work since then.

Solo Exhibitions:

1993 Cabiria Cafe', " Faces and Masks" Florence, Italy.
1996 Artist Studio, " Reflections from the past" Limassol, Cyprus.
1997 Spazio New Age, " Me, myself and I" Milan, Italy.
1999 Artist Studio, " Images" Amman, Jordan.
2000 Dar Alanda Gallery," The Face" Amman, Jordan.
2000 Bluefig Cafe', " Solo" Amman, Jordan.
2004 The Evolution of life - 195 kings, Road, London, UK
2004 Retrospective - shell headquarters, London, UK

Group Exhibitions:

1993 The Rex Gallery, "Harmony and the Mood" Florence.
1993 Academy of Fine Arts, Annual students exhibition, Florence.
1994 Bologna Art Fair, " End and Over" Bologna.
1994 Glashaus Gallery, " Effetto Serra" Burgkirchen, Germany.
1997 Spazio New Age, " Colour Paradise" Milan, Italy.
1997 Brera, Annual students exhibition, Milan, Italy.
2002 Contemporary Arab artist - Zara Gallery, Amman, Jordan.
2002-2003 Breaking the veils: women artist for Islamic world - Benaki, Museum, Athens, Greece.
2004 Made in Clerkenwell Summer 2004, London, UK.