'AT THE EXPO' - Collage

Artist Statement

My collage art is a visual journey through cityscapes, local landscapes, and themes of heritage and nostalgia. Deeply rooted in my daily experiences, each piece reflects personal memories and emotions shaped by the world around me. I strive to capture these intimate moments with authenticity and care—transforming the essence of my surroundings into layered, thoughtful compositions.

A significant development in my practice has been the shift towards preparing my own papers, rather than relying on found materials. While I began experimenting with this technique in earlier exhibitions, it has now become central to my artistic process. This intentional and meditative preparation allows me to carefully select the media, techniques, and textures that best convey my vision. Though labor-intensive, the process is deeply fulfilling, and it grounds my multimedia works within the familiar language of my collage roots.

This latest series centers on mixed media collages created on both cardboard and canvas. My work is semi-abstract in nature, composed using materials such as oil, acrylic, gouache, and ink, alongside layered methods like calligraphy, etching, and silkscreen. These works emerged during a particularly turbulent time—a period marked by political instability and personal reflection. In the solitude of my atelier, creation became not just an act of artistic expression, but of emotional survival and resistance.

Despite the hardship, motifs of Beirut’s urban charm and Lebanon’s mountainous landscapes recur throughout this body of work, offering a stark yet hopeful contrast to the chaos outside. These collages speak of resilience and beauty, echoing the spirit of Lebanon in the face of adversity.

My art remains deeply tied to place. The soul of Beirut, along with Lebanon’s rich and varied scenery, continues to inspire both my aesthetic and my process. In every collage, I hope to preserve a piece of that landscape—its memory, its tension, and its enduring grace.