"The works of Ariane Hafizi are pure aesthetic experiences, in which all the elements have the same visual importance. The different abstract plots and the figurative elements are integrated into a compositional harmony in order to create a complete work, to the point that many times they are not easily differentiable from one another. Even so, beyond the visual harmony, the figures that appear are not only aesthetic elements that are integrated visually, but also represent the world and Ariane's concerns: cultural identity, spirituality and magic, and the woman and her sexuality.” Jose Ignacio Abeijon Giraldez (Art critic, author, curator, Madrid, Spain)

Natalia Ariane Hafizi Marianovich was born to Bahman Hafizi and Carmen Marianovich Hafizi in Boulder, Colorado on 9 July 1981. Her father was born in Iran, and is a research scientist. Her mother was born in Uruguay and is an engineer specializing in computer systems.

When Ariane was five-years old, the family moved to the Washington, DC area, attending Bethesda Elementary School, Pyle Middle School, Bethesda Chevy Chase High School (B-CC), and finally Edmund Burke School. Ariane’s artistic nature revealed itself early, as she took art classes at Glen Echo Park, Corcoran School of Art, and also began to take craft courses, and studied violin for many years. Her art teacher Ms Walsh at B-CC greatly influenced her. She loved exercise and dancing; she was on the B-CC swim team and regularly rode her bike. She had many good friends and maintained her relationship with many of them after moving to New York, among them Lee Johnson, Erin DeSabla, Natasha Jones, Marion Womack and Adam Schifter.

Ariane moved to New York in 1999 to study art and design at Parsons School of Design, graduating in 2004. Her life in New York, as for so many other students, was difficult, renting apartments in old buildings, and many times sharing the place with roommates. After graduation she continued painting at the same time that she established a career as graphic and web designer.

For two years, Ariane lived on the east side of Manhattan in a very small apartment that she shared with another student, her good friend Erica Hoefer. Afterward, Ariane and Jacques Gautier, rented an apartment together in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The couple shared a love of outdoor activities—frequently camping in the wilderness of upstate New York, and enjoying adventurous travel together. They camped in the jungles of Puerto Rico and took a bike tour of the Pacific Coast. Jacques, a chef, encouraged her to explore new tastes and cuisines.

Ariane was a beautiful, tall, strong, brave girl, who loved outdoor activities. She jogged every day in the park, and commuted to work by bike, riding over the Williamsburg Bridge. She liked to explore, to take long walks and especially liked the sea. She traveled extensively across the U.S., Canada, Europe, Central and South America. She loved to spend time with her family, and traveled to Uruguay, Spain, and England to visit them. She had an easy laugh, was kind and generous, and loved music and dancing.

In 2012 she moved to the house in Bethesda, Maryland where she grew up and took over the R&D company that her father had founded and led for 20 years. Ariane became the owner and CEO of Icarus Research, Inc—a completely unexpected development. Icarus had a contract with the Naval Research Laboratory and she enjoyed running the firm, communicating with employees, the contract monitor, lawyers, accountants, etc. She was successful in her work, and prepared and won a proposal for a new contract with the Naval Research Laboratory. That gave her much satisfaction and self-confidence. At the same time she continued developing her art work.