Sahmarani was born in Lebanon in 1970. He left Beirut in 1989 for Paris and studied at the Ecole Supérieure d’ Art Graphique. He now lives and works in Montreal. His works has been exhibited in Beirut, Montreal, Dubai, New York, Washington D.C and Ireland. Sahmarani’s oil paintings, drawings, ceramics and performance artwork are reflective of the mediums themselves and of sociopolitical issues in the Middle East. In 2007, Dubai’s The Third Line gallery showcased his series entitled Can You Teach Me How to Fight? The paintings and drawings of this exhibit retraced battles occurring in the Middle East between the 10th and 14th centuries. He was the 2009 recipient of the Abraaj Capital prize of Abu Dhabi.