of a controlled mainstream. I believe that creative and artistic expression should always strive to facilitate discussion about important issues that affect the people, whether they be political, social, cultural, or economic. Do you generally express your political views through your art? Absolutely. I prefer expressing my political views in an artwork rather than over the dinner table! However, I do admit that after many years of heavy political expression in my artwork with the Warchestra series, I’ve distanced myself from the downward spiral of politics, and focus more on the humanity of those affected by it. What messages do you want to communicate through your work? The messages in my artwork evolve as my experiences evolve. The only message that I hope will always be consistent in my artwork is peace. Take us through your creative process. I am a very visual person, and I do a lot of visual research before starting any new painting or body of work. Looking at images makes my brain work in all directions. That is how Warchestra evolved- blast walls started looking like Qanun’s, AK-47’s transformed into trumpets, RPG’s could be mistaken for clarinets, and military tanks looked like violins. I love the idea of subverting existing images, especially media images, which is why collage is the perfect medium for me. With Warchestra, I used many references from my time spent in Baghdad, taking difficult experiences and stories that had to be expressed creatively. With my more recent work, I am so inspired by my sister Tamara’s photography and the current call for change happening in the Middle East. What sort of mediums do you work with? I love working with collage and mixed-media. I have always mixed my own paint, using powdered pigment and acrylic gel medium, which is time consuming but so rewarding. I am also part of the digital generation, so as much as I love getting my hands dirty, I do a lot of work on the computer, from digital collages, to video and sound editing. I am a self-taught graphic designer, so I have designed everything from my website to my catalogues, album covers for my husband, The Narcicyst, and everything in between. I love the art of Arabic calligraphy, especially Kufi, which I often incorporate into my artwork and designs. I have to always keep busy, so between projects, I also design jewelry. Maktoob, Majbooreen bil Amal, Uprising, all include the image of a man or boy flying. The symbolism communicates freedom, or maybe even breaking free. What was the idea behind these pieces?
UPrising Acrylic and mixed media on canvas 24” by 48” 2011
The Flight series developed from Tamara’s photographs of young boys jumping off the Raouche in Beirut, and by taking the figures out of context, the boys looked like they were flying free. When I first saw those photographs, I had just wrapped up Warchestra was feeling extremely drained artistically and emotionally. The images filled me with a sense of hope, and I realized that what I was feeling as an artist was overlapping with what was happening around the Arab World... The people were fed up with the oppression, the violence and the corrupt regimes. What once seemed impossible