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The artist, singer and painter Matteo el-Khodr paints a love letter to Lebanon through a collection of 20 paintings that represent the various regions of the country. The exhibition is open for viewing until March 16 in Beirut, at Kalim Art Space.
Of Greek and Turkish origin, born in Beirut and having grown up in Paris, Matteo el-Khodr has an unconditional love for Lebanon. Despite the current situation, he decided to return and settle in Beirut a few years ago. To express this sense of belonging, he painted 20 canvases which he presents as part of his first exhibition, running until March 16 in Beirut, at the Kalim Art Space. Different Lebanese regions are depicted in these paintings in all their splendor and history.
This pictorial journey, illustrating panoramas and urban and picturesque landscapes, takes us on the roads of the most famous Lebanese cities, which lend their names to the titles of the paintings: Tyre, Saida, Deir el-Qamar, Jounieh, Byblos, Batroun, Baalbeck, Tripoli, Zahle, and Bsharri. Matteo dedicates six paintings to his city of residence, Beirut, one of which bears its name. He then represents several locations that form the identity of Beirut, including Martyrs’ Square and Nejmeh Square. “Lebanon is for me more than a home, more than an identity. It has made me who I am. This exhibition is a tribute to my country, each painting a postcard and a love letter to Lebanon,” Khodr explains to This Is Beirut.
Acrylic on canvas
120 × 100 cm
A Lesser-Known Technique
Always very positive by nature, the artist sets out to highlight the beauty emanating from his country primarily through urban landscapes and panoramas. To this end, he employs a particular technique involving the use of two or three colors in predominantly monochrome tones, with black lines in ink or acrylic, to emphasize and highlight the represented reliefs. The artist discovered this technique during an artist residency at the Boghossian Foundation in Brussels. He wished to explore the technique and present it in Lebanon as part of his exhibition. “What appealed to me about this technique is the enhancement of the urban landscape through this black line that allows for working on the details, but not dwelling on them too much,” Khodr highlights. The black line is set against a cheerful background of multiple colors that represent the pictorial, architectural, social and religious characteristics of Lebanon. The choice of these colors is intentional and offers an image that is both naïve and urban of this mix of religions, profiles and landscapes in Lebanon.
The exhibition My Lebanon can be discovered until March 16 in Beirut at Kalim Art Space (@kalimartspace). To follow the news of Matteo Khodr, visit his Instagram page @matteoelkhodr.
