Joumana Medlej

The seeds of my art practice were planted in darkness. My childhood was defined by war; I escaped by turning inwards. In the inner worlds I found timeless order, permanence and meaning beyond the chaos, destruction and noise. Now, all of my work is a striving to bring a little of this reality through into our increasingly brittle and muddled world.

In this spirit, rigorous research underlies everything I create: the scripts, materials, themes I use, all have deep roots in the ancestral knowledge I bring back to light.

My visual language is derived from the Kufi scripts, the earliest tradition of Arabic calligraphy, which few can read today. Composed of pure meaning that doesn’t give itself away, the work bypasses the mind to engage a deeper recognition, and holds the viewer in contemplation.

The materials and techniques I use are varied, but all prioritise sustainability and respect for the living world. I no longer use industrial colours, instead hand-preparing paint, dyeing paper, and even foraging for materials. In this way I’m part of a complete creative process that begins with raw gifts from the Earth and ends in an art object: the alchemy of transforming matter for the sake of Beauty.

Wall pieces are only one of three th...

Diploma in Traditional Arts (Islamic Manuscript Illumination, Alchemy of Paint, Geometry and World Art, Icon Painting of the Prosopon School, Art of Egg Painting and Gilding) from the Prince’s School of Traditional Arts, 2013

Assistant and apprentice to Master Samir Sayegh, Beirut, 2007-2012

BGD (Bachelors of Graphic Design), American University of Beirut, 2001

• Work included in "Unfolding Events: Exploring Past and Present in Artists’ Books", Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University, USA
• Work included in "Highlights", Ithra Museum, King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture, Dhahran, KSA, 2023.
• "Through the Looking Glass", Swanfall Art, Mall Galleries, London 2023.
• "Lebanon | Untitled", Janet Rady Fine Art x Artscoops, Cromwell Place, London 2023.
• Work included in "The Future of Traditions, Writing Pictures: Contemporary Art from the Middle East", Brunei Gallery, SOAS, London 2023.
• Work included in "The Handmade Book", Stanford Libraries, USA, 2022-23.
• Group: “The Written Word“, Woolf Institute, Cambridge 2022.
• "In So Many Words", Pictorem Gallery, London 2019.
• The Society of Women Artists 2018 Exhibition, Mall Galleries, London.
• “Art in Times of Crisis” talk, exhibition and workshops, Raleigh, USA, 2017.
• “Lighting the Darkness”, the Crypt Gallery, London, 2015.
• Work included in “Signs, Traces and Calligraphy” by Rose Issa, Beirut, 2015
• Work included in “Great Lebanese Painters of the Jihad and Farouk Abillama Collection”, Beirut, 2014
• Sharjah Art Museum’s 5th Summer Art Festival, 2014
• Kuwait’s 6th International Islamic Arts Convention, 2013-1...