Bubbles of Hope

The Beirut port explosion brought unclaimed, unaided disaster to countless families in Lebanon- adding to the generational trauma of war, displacement, destruction and loss for a country already struggling with a crippling inflation and the pandemic.
The Lebanese had to, once again, fend for themselves amid physical and emotional rubble, victims of a failed state ruled by corruption, nepotism and factionalism.
So many today, still, find no solace in closure. Since 1975, the number of killed remains disputed since too many were never found, never buried, never properly honoured. The port explosion added to this number.
For us who left, it is always a mixture of relief, guilt and frustration.

With these paintings, I send you, the country of my birth, bubbles of hope, of love, of peace hoping they will float all the way towards you; a reminder that Lebanon will always be much bigger than its headlines.