Embodied Realities: The Body as a Canvas, The Body as a Battlefield
What does it mean to exist in a body? How does the body witness personal and collective histories, political struggles, and evolving identities? In a time shaped by conflict, digital transformation, and shifting social norms, the body becomes more than just a physical form—a canvas, a battlefield, and a space for resistance and expression.
We are excited to present "Embodied Realities," a hybrid collective exhibition curated by Dr. Pamela Chrabieh at Kulturnest and in the metaverse, featuring the works of 23 selected artists from various backgrounds, nationalities, genders, and experiences. The exhibition showcases the work of emerging, mid-way, and established artists, each bringing their unique perspective to the theme of the body. Through painting, sculpture, digital art, mixed media, illustration, drawing, calligraphy, and more, these artists explore how the body is shaped by and responds to the world around it. This exhibition challenges perceptions, celebrates diversity, and opens conversations about the ever-changing nature of embodiment.
Location: Kulturnest.
Opening Night: April 12, 2025, 6 to 9 pm.
Exhibition Dates: April 12 – June 12, 2025.
Participating Artists
Amira Daaboul, Datevig Berberian, Elio Sadeck, George Khoury, Grégory Taousson, Hazar Daou, Jeanne d'Arc Bou Younes, Joseph Ghobeira, Leslie Akl, Maria Azar, Marie Bassil, Nayla Kilzi, Nora Lebbos, Olga Safa, Ovsanna Yepremian Telfeyan, Pamela Chrabieh, Precilia N. Hawa, Rabih Yehya, Rima Ghanem, Rosalie Karadeulian, Sarah Kouzi, Tala Beydoun, Théreza E. Zgheib.
This exhibition is guided by a series of sub-themes that delve into the physical, political, and philosophical dimensions of the body:
The Body in Times of War – How do conflict, survival, and resilience manifest in the body? In Lebanon and the broader Southwestern Asian region, how do personal and collective histories leave their marks?
Gendered Bodies – How do social constructs shape our understanding of gender? How do artists challenge norms and reclaim bodily autonomy?
The Digital Body – In an era of AI, virtual realities, and hyper-connectivity, what happens when our bodies extend beyond the physical world?
The Political Body – The body as protest, oppression, and resistance; how do artists engage with the politics of embodiment?
The Fragile Body – How do aging, illness, and mortality shape our experiences of the body? How do we confront or defy physical limitations?
The Celebrated Body – Movement, dance, and vitality; how do artists capture the joy of being in a body?
The Environmental Body – How do bodies interact with urban spaces and nature? What do pollution, climate change, and sustainability mean for physical and emotional well-being?
The Future of the Body – From transhumanism to bionic limbs and AI integration, how are advancements redefining what it means to be human?
Why Embodied Realities Matters
In Lebanon, where history is etched into landscapes and bodies, Embodied Realities is more than just an art exhibition; a necessary space for reflection, expression, and dialogue. The body carries the weight of war, displacement, and crisis, yet it also holds resilience, resistance, and reinvention. In a country that has endured cycles of conflict, economic collapse, and social upheaval, the body becomes a living archive of survival and transformation. For an international audience, this exhibition serves as a powerful reminder that embodiment is both deeply personal and universally political. Whether shaped by violence, technology, gendered expectations, or environmental shifts, the body is at once a site of vulnerability and a powerful medium of storytelling. Through the works of 23 artists, Embodied Realities invites viewers, local and global, to engage with urgent questions about identity, agency, and the evolving human condition in a world marked by constant change.
INTERVIEW
Kulturnest has been open for a while now. How has the space evolved since its inception? Have there been any significant shifts in its mission, audience, or programming?
Kulturnest started as a creative hub meant to hold space for artistic expression outside traditional formats. Over time, it has become more than just a venue; it's turned into a community. While the core mission remains centred around fostering dialogue through art and supporting local artists, we have seen a shift in the audience. We began with a very local crowd, but with time (and especially through our digital programming such as our virtual exhibitions and our eShop on our website), we have started attracting a more international and interdisciplinary following. Our programming has also expanded, becoming more collaborative, more socially engaged, and more experimental.
What has surprised you the most about running this space—both in positive ways and in terms of unexpected challenges?
The biggest surprise has been the level of resilience and creativity that emerges during times of uncertainty. We opened our doors in late 2023 when Lebanon was facing serious crises and war, and despite everything - economic collapse, State paralysis, bombing, and destruction - artists kept showing up, wanting to create, to connect. That's the beautiful part. The challenging part has been sustainability. Resources are limited, and the emotional labour of holding space for others while navigating a crisis yourself is very real. But those tensions have also shaped the authenticity of the space.
How would you describe the cultural and artistic landscape in which Kulturnest operates? How has the space been received by both the local and international communities?
The cultural landscape here is both rich and fragile. There's a deep well of creativity in Lebanon, fueled by a complex history and the desire to make meaning through art. At the same time, artists often operate with minimal or even nonexistent institutional support. Kulturnest has been received as a bit of a breathing room, a place where experimentation and inclusivity are not only allowed but encouraged. Internationally, we are starting to be recognized for our adaptive approaches and for bridging digital and physical art practices in war zones. Locally, the response has been deeply personal; people seem to appreciate the intimacy of the space and its commitment to critical conversations.
You're about to open Embodied Realities, an exhibition exploring the body as a site of resistance, transformation, and storytelling. What drew you to this theme, and how does it align with Kulturnest's mission?
The body felt like the most immediate, universal, and politically charged site to explore right now. Whether we are talking about gender, migration, memory, or trauma, everything comes back to embodiment. The theme aligns with Kulturnest's mission in the sense that it invites personal narratives to intersect with broader systems - political, social, environmental, and technological. It's also a theme that invites vulnerability, which is something we try to hold space for in all our programming.
The exhibition features a diverse group of artists, each reflecting on embodiment from a unique perspective. How did you go about selecting them?
The selection process was very intuitive but also intentional. We weren't just looking for work that fit a theme; we were looking for artists whose practices are rooted in inquiry and who are willing to engage with the politics of the body in complex ways. Some artists were people we have worked with before (and are part of the Kulturnest community); others came through our open call or recommendations. Diversity, in terms of geography, medium, and lived experience, was essential. We wanted to avoid a singular narrative and instead create a constellation of voices.
Given the current socio-political climate in Lebanon and beyond, how do you see this exhibition contributing to broader conversations about identity, history, and resilience?
In many ways, Embodied Realities is a response to the ongoing disintegration - of states, infrastructures, and narratives. In Lebanon, the body often bears the weight of these breakdowns, whether through physical displacement, protest, multiform violence, or even just surviving day to day. Globally, we are seeing similar pressures, just in different forms. By foregrounding embodiment, the exhibition insists on the personal as political. It doesn't offer easy answers, but it does create space for expression, reflection, resistance, and dialogue.
One key aspect of Embodied Realities is its hybrid format, taking place both physically and in the metaverse. How do you see digital spaces transforming the way we engage with contemporary art?
Digital spaces are expanding the ways we tell stories and who gets to tell them. They allow for access, experimentation, and archiving - which is especially important in unstable contexts like ours. But they also come with their politics and challenges. For Embodied Realities, the hybrid format allowed us to extend the conversation beyond geography while also interrogating what it means to "embody" something in a virtual realm. It's not just about translation, and it's about transformation.
The exhibition touches on a wide range of themes, from the impact of war on the body to the intersection of technology and identity. Which of these conversations feel particularly urgent today?
They are all urgent, but perhaps the question of how technology is reshaping our sense of self feels especially pressing.From surveillance to digital avatars, our bodies are increasingly mediated and manipulated through screens. At the same time, technology offers tools for self-expression and connection that weren't possible before. That tension - between empowerment and control - is something we are all navigating right now.
At the same time, the exhibition's engagement with the impact of war on the body feels equally urgent. In many parts of the world, and especially in ours, people are being forced to adapt to conditions of prolonged conflict, where survival itself becomes a radical act, and thriving can take on new, defiant meanings. These bodies carry trauma, yes, but also incredible resilience, imagination, and resistance. In a world where war is often abstracted or sanitized through media, bringing attention to the lived, embodied experience of those caught in its wake is crucial. It reminds us that bodies are not just passive sites of suffering; they are also agents of endurance and transformation.
What do you hope visitors will take away from Embodied Realities? Is there a particular message or feeling you want them to leave with?
We hope visitors leave with a heightened sense of presence in their bodies and with others. We want them to feel the complexity of embodiment, to sit with its contradictions. Maybe even to feel a bit uncomfortable, in the best way. More than anything, we hope they feel seen, or at least recognize the power of telling one's story or perception of the body through the arts.
Beyond this exhibition, what's next for Kulturnest? Are there any upcoming projects or directions you're particularly excited about?
We are organizing the second chapter of our EcoArt market in May 2025 that will feature upcycled art from more than 12 local creative enterprises and 50 artists, as well as several workshops, events, and exhibitions throughout the early summer and fall seasons. We are exploring more cross-disciplinary collaborations on local, regional, and international levels and expanding our eShop and community of creatives.
In the long term, we are thinking about how Kulturnest can function not just as a hybrid space but as a methodology, onethat can be adapted and shared beyond its walls. This feels especially important now as we navigate the intersecting challenges of war, displacement, and economic crisis. These conditions demand not only resilience but also new models for collective care, cultural sustainability, and creative economies. We are asking: how can art and culture respond meaningfully to instability? How can we support artists whose lives and livelihoods are directly affected? And how can we keep building spaces for imagination and connection when the systems around us are strained or collapsing? Kulturnest, in this sense, becomes not just a creative hub or a cultural space but a way of thinking, making, surviving, and blossoming together.
Artist’s Talk
Al-Tiba9 Interviews is a promotional platform for artists to articulate their vision and engage them with our diverse readership through a published art dialogue. The artists are interviewed by Mohamed Benhadj, the founder & curator of Al-Tiba9, to highlight their artistic careers and introduce them to the international contemporary art scene across our vast network of museums, galleries, art professionals, art dealers, collectors, and art lovers across the globe.
