Karachi’s World Culture Festival: Swedish muralist Domi Forrest brings myth-inspired art to city

'It’s my first time working with assistants, as I usually travel and paint alone'

Swedish mural artist Domi Forrest has brought her unique fusion of mythology, nature, and human connection to Pakistan, where she is creating two large-scale murals for the World Culture Festival in Karachi.

“This is my first time working with assistants, as I usually travel and paint alone,” she told The Express Tribune, smiling as she looked over her unfinished sketches.

On her first visit to Pakistan, Forrest described her experience as “an amazing one full of positive energy and kindness”.

Internationally known for her symbolic and nature-inspired works, Forrest’s art often explores the relationship between people and the environment. Her current murals, being painted for the festival, feature striking imagery including a Viking boat, bear paws, a fetus enclosed in a circle, and eyes reflecting the world.

“I work with symbolism,” she explained. “The Viking boat represents strength, the bear paws stand for safety and masculinity, while the fetus reminds us of our origin, that we all come from the womb. The eyes, for me, are a window to the soul”.

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Describing her process as intuitive, Forrest said much of her work evolves naturally as she paints. “Right now, we’re only sketching. Later, I’ll fill in the lines that speak to me, and then we’ll add color,” she said, adding that collaborating with local assistants has been an inspiring change from her usual solo approach.

Despite the exhaustion from travel, the Swedish artist says she is thoroughly enjoying Pakistani culture, especially its food. “I love Palak Paneer! I’ve had it before in Sweden and India, but it’s so much spicier here,” she said with a laugh.

Forrest praised the World Culture Festival for bringing together over a hundred artists from different countries, saying such gatherings strengthen global understanding through art.

“When people gather with good intentions, the energy of the earth rises,” she said. “If we take care of each other through love and art, we also take care of nature, children, and the future”.

As her brushes sweep across the wall, Forrest’s work is steadily transforming into a visual narrative of unity and emotion, a mural that speaks not only of creativity but also of shared humanity.