Dubai-based DJ Sabrina Terence is a multi-talented artist who seamlessly blends music and painting in a captivating way.
Born and raised in Germany near Berlin, Sabrina had a passion for both music and art excelling in both subjects in school. However, she never thought that she would become a DJ, let alone an accomplished painter.
Sabrina started her career as an interior designer. She moved on to become a model with her own agency. In 2006, she transitioned to DJing and has been a staple in Dubai's music scene for almost 16 years. After seven years of intense touring, Sabrina found herself in need of a creative outlet to help her find balance and alleviate the stress of her lifestyle. This is when she discovered her love for painting.
Sabrina has a long and varied list of impressive clients and projects under her belt, from the Taj Group, residency at the award-winning Paros Rooftop, DB Schenker, and Shell petrol company. She was featured in a museum exhibition over the Christmas holiday, further cementing her place as a rising star in the art world. Some highlights of her DJ career include a Breitling event in Dubai with John Travolta and a Nicholas Cage event in Beijing China. The opening for Paris Hilton’s launch of her handbag store in Dubai 2010 also stands out.
In 2015, Sabrina embarked on a meditation retreat in Thailand where she discovered a hidden talent for painting. She moved to Washington, DC to study art. It was there that she found her creative voice, developing a series of black oil paintings in 2017-2018. They resemble vinyl records, a nod to her musical background. These limited editions one-of-a-kind are some of her proudest works to date.
“Music was always my passion, being around the road traveling on night shifts and events and it's not that easy.
I felt I was missing something, thinking I need to rest my mind. It's like meditation, and maybe if I'm good at it, make some money with it.”
What inspires Sabrina's paintings? It's a question she asks every day. For her, inspiration comes from a variety of sources; clients, colors, nature, and people she meets from all over the world who make requests while DJing. Her paintings have names like "Serenity," "Circle of Life," "Vinyl Power," "Pinky Lips," and "Bitcoin." She is fond of abstract acrylic mixed media as it is easier to work with and dries quickly, allowing changes or adding to the painting with time.
A challenge Sabrina faces is not being limited to just one style of painting, but instead flexible different styles to switch between.
“So my manifestation for my art is not a hundred percent yet, I would say because I'm making my own way. It's an interesting universe and I'm going with the flow which I did as a DJ. I was creating with the flow of music by focusing on the people. But art is a bit different. You really create from nothing. The other side is that you create something people like or they don't like. People are telling me I have to have one style.
But I want to be flexible with styles of painting.”
Spirituality is an important aspect of artistic journey. For her, it's about progress and trusting the universe. She believes successful people focus on abundance.
“It is easier to tell everybody out there, how they should manifest, what they should do and this and that, to have other people around and guide them. When it comes to yourself you fall into the same beliefs when something doesn't work right or doesn't go the way you would love to have it. It's all about progress, trust the universe. Sometimes we do see that happening but we don't believe anything at this point. That is that negative thinking, maybe we don't believe in our manifestation. The reason why I'm saying this is because the human mind is so good at focusing more on the negative rather than the positivity. People become more successful because they don't focus on what is not working out for them. They just focus, live in that abundance, and flow. And it means they just keep going, and then they're just successful.”
HOMEGROWN is musivv’s segment dedicated to featuring UAE-based artists.