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DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Moscow:20250620T100000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Moscow:20250801T180000
DTSTAMP:20250620T134626Z
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SUMMARY:Mounira Al Solh Solo Exhibition – Stray Salt
DESCRIPTION:Mounira Al Solh — Return to Lebanon\nAfter representing Lebanon at the 60th Venice Biennale, Mounira Al Solh returns with a new exhibition. It continues her feminist exploration of national narratives and myth-making.\nThrough sculpture, film, painting, drawing, and textiles, the show revisits the myth of Europa. Forced to leave from the shores of Tyre in South Lebanon, she travels to Crete. This ancient journey mirrors today’s stories of exile and migration.\n\nA Female Voyager\nReferencing the Statue of the Lebanese Emigrant, Al Solh presents a striking ceramic figure. Instead of a male traveler, she sculpts a nude woman standing in a shell-shaped boat called Time (in Arabic).\nWith brightly polished toenails and a bent knee mid-step, the figure appears caught in motion. She pulls a modern suitcase behind her, confidently reclaiming the idea of the voyager.\n\nBlending Past and Present\nThroughout the exhibition, ancient and modern elements are skillfully intertwined. Ceramic wall pieces and trompe-l’œil paintings combine Phoenician mosaics, inscriptions, and feminine symbols.\nAl Solh uses earthy colors to ground her mythic references in today’s reality. In one large painting, Europa no longer appears as a victim. Instead of being abducted by Zeus, she cradles him tenderly, reversing the narrative.\n\nRitual and Reflection\nTwo sculpted heads cover their faces with their hands. They transform crying into a symbolic and performative act. Their hollowed tops turn them into vessels for grief.\nAt the center of the gallery, a wooden boat pays tribute to Lebanon’s deep connection with the sea. Inside it, a flat screen displays Two Airplanes and the Luggage, an animated film by Al Solh.\n\nFlight, Sound, and Survival\nIn the animation, Europa flees across the sea. She abandons her suitcase—and the bull—escaping war and the weight of her own myth.\nAl Solh herself creates the film’s soundtrack. She hums, whistles, and buzzes to mimic birds, airplanes, and explosions. The effect is at once haunting and playful.\n\nWomen as Origins\nIn her latest painting series, Al Solh celebrates women as life-givers. Using acrylic on canvas, she recalls Courbet’s Origin of the World. These works challenge centuries of male-dominated history, placing women at the heart of cultural transmission.\n\nTrauma and Resistance\nThe exhibition draws connections between ancient myths and modern violence. It maps out a persistent trauma that has long driven people into exile.\nYet, through her playful interventions, Al Solh weaves a fragile link between past and present. The works move between grief and resistance—held in balance by her uniquely poetic voice.\n\nAbout the Artist\nMounira Al Solh (b. 1978, Lebanon) lives and works between Beirut and Amsterdam. Her multidisciplinary practice spans installation, painting, video, sculpture, embroidery, and performance.\nShe often uses irony and wordplay to explore memory, displacement, women’s lives, and political conflict. Her process is rooted in oral history, social engagement, and collaboration.\nIn 2008, she launched NOA Magazine (Not Only Arabic) and later co-founded the NOA Language School in Amsterdam, a project that explored migration through language.\n\nExhibitions and Recognition\nAl Solh has held solo shows at:\n\n\nSerralves Museum (Portugal, 2025)\n\n\nMuseumsquartier Osnabrück (Germany, 2022)\n\n\nBALTIC (UK, 2022)\n\n\nMori Art Museum (Tokyo, 2020)\n\n\nJameel Arts Centre (Dubai, 2018)\n\n\nArt Institute of Chicago (2018)\n\n\nShe also participated in:\n\n\nCentre Pompidou-Metz (2025)\n\n\nStedelijk Museum (2024)\n\n\nSharjah Biennale (2009 & 2023)\n\n\nDocumenta 14 (2017)\n\n\nVenice Biennale (2015)\n\n\nIstanbul Biennale (2009)\n\n\nNew Museum Triennial (2012)\n\n\nHer awards include:\n\n\nABN AMRO Art Prize (2023)\n\n\nDerek Williams Trust Prize (2023)\n\n\nUriôt Prize (2007)\n\n\nBlack Magic Woman Award (2007)\n\n\nHer film Rawane’s Song received the Jury Prize at Videobrasil.\n\n
URL:https://www.lebanontraveler.com/events/mounira-al-solh-solo-exhibition-stray-salt/
CATEGORIES:Art
LOCATION:Beirut
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.lebanontraveler.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/STRAY-SALT.jpg
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